TWICE in 24 hours, four times in the past month and at least six times this year - that's how often the A3 traffic lights at the Hindhead crossroads have failed.
A serious accident is now only a matter of time according to local residents and local MP Virginia Bottomley. The comments came after the lights stopped working on Thursday and Friday afternoons last week.
The Highways Agency, which is responsible for the lights, has blamed the failures on "teething troubles", "a power supply fault" and "a problem with an electrical cable".
Sandra Dodds is a Grayshott community nurse who passed through the lights when they failed at 3 pm on Thursday and 4 pm on Friday.
"On Thursday there was heavy traffic, it was really frightening," she said. "Twice in two days - it's beyond a joke."
Mrs Dodds, who lives in Hindhead Road, said the lights are failing every two or three weeks.
"It's pure luck that there hasn't been an accident," she claimed.
Mrs Dodds is not optimistic, saying that drivers appear to have become less patient with the problem.
"On Thursday I noticed cars were going a lot faster," she said. "At other times people slowed down but this time people weren't giving way, there was a road rage thing going on."
The Highways Agency was unable to confirm the exact times the lights stopped and were restarted, but said that the problems had been caused by "a fault within the works".
The most recent previous failure was on May 21 at 9 pm, when a fault in the power supply was blamed. On May 13 the lights went out during the morning and evening rush hours because of a problem with the electrical circuits.
On January 10 they failed three times in one day, and on January 24 they failed again.
Because of the number of times the lights have failed, the Highways Agency has sent experts from the transport research laboratory and the manufacturers to investigate.
SW Surrey MP Virginia Bottomley agreed that drivers are being put at risk, although she cited the layout of the lights as a cause for concern.
"In my opinion, it is inevitable that sooner or later a head-on accident will occur," she said. "I believe the hazard is caused by the inadequate and dangerous set-up of traffic lights," Mrs Bottomley continued, "which appear to mislead southbound drivers on the A3 turning right on to the A287."
Along with Shottermill Waverley councillor Neil Jackson, Mrs Bottomley expressed concerns about the length of traffic jams from Haslemere up to the lights.
Having received "endless" letters, the MP believes it is time for action. "I have written immediately to Patrick Bingham, traffic engineer at Hampshire County Council and John Rylett, area team manager at the Highways Agency in Dorking, requesting that an urgent solution is found."