INTRICATE repair work has taken place to tackle persistent problems at a troublesome set of York traffic lights.

The lights, at the Clifton Green crossroads, triggered numerous complaints from motorists after breaking down several times.

They failed to respond to emergency repairs, and then temporary lights put in to replace them also broke down.

So council engineers began an in-depth set of checks to track down the problem.

A City of York Council spokesman said the problem stemmed from "nicks" in a power cable, caused by various excavations in the area.

The nicks, which the council claims were not reported, had allowed moisture to seep into the cables, which put pressure on an ageing system controller.

The spokesman said: "When the cable network serving the controller is in good condition the age of the controller does not normally cause a problem.

"However, as we have now discovered, the cables are not in such a condition.

"The lights are now up and running again - but not without some major repair work."

Sam Waudby, chairwoman of Clifton Liberal Democrats, campaigned for the lights to be fixed.

She said today: "They did cause an immense amount of inconvenience for motorists when they were not working.

"I am pleased that something has been done, but will definitely be keeping an eye on the situation."

Updated: 10:47 Saturday, January 18, 2003