It was gridlock in Burton today with motorists stuck in traffic as St Peter's Bridge closed for emergency repair work.

The bridge was closed by Staffordshire County Council at 6am, while Burton Bridge on the other side of town, has been described as 'horrendous' by motorists. It will remain closed for three months.

And the move caused traffic problems across the town, which saw people take to social media to share their experiences and frustrations.

Gail Jones said: "I queued for ages past the tennis club on Ashby Road, then it just got worse and worse on the way down. That was at 10.30am on a Tuesday morning.

"I'd love to walk but as I live in Ashby and own a business in Burton it's difficult. I really worry for all us small business owners because people just won't bother coming in, it will be a ghost town within a month!"

Richard Elder claimed that he had been delayed for four hours, because of the closure.

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Karen Thomson also had to queue. She said: "It took me 45 minutes to cross the bridge this morning. My only concern is that I saw an ambulance with its lights on but could not get through the traffic. Why can't they allow access across St Peter's Bridge just for emergency vehicles?"

More than 24,000 vehicles drive over St Peter's Bridge every day, but this has now stopped for three months as the county council carries out vital repairs to "life-expired" bearings, which are needed to keep the bridge safe.

Swadlincote resident Lesley Cain took to Facebook to share her concern about the closure and other roadworks around the area. She said: "I live in Swadlincote and work in Lichfield. I noticed this morning that there are roadworks and traffic lights around the area getting into Drakelow and Walton.

Traffic has been building on the way into Burton as St Peter's Bridge closes for three months

"I appreciate the bridge needs repairing, but why didn't they consider doing it in the better months?!

"Maybe I am being selfish, but it's going to be a nightmare for us in Stapenhill and the surrounding areas like Swad."

Live feeds on Google Maps today have shown how much extra traffic has been on the roads due to the closure. It shows that the main routes around the town centre were heavily congested.

The roads in Burton have been full of traffic all day

Reader Jonathan Fletcher drove over the bridge and said: "Driving over the old Trent bridge [Burton Bridge] a minute ago the first thing to come into my mind was a famous Chris Rea track 'Driving home for Christmas' as reckon that's when I'll get home!"

Traffic was backing up on the A444 and A511 this morning, as commuters from the other side of the River Trent were forced to use just one bridge to get into the town.

Meanwhile, St Peter's Bridge was completely empty

Roads heading into Burton were hit with heavy traffic as drivers swarmed to Burton Bridge from all directions.

Meanwhile, Kate Gooding called the traffic on Burton Bridge 'horrendous'. She said: "People were weaving in and out of lanes to try and get through.

"It's the worst time of year possible. Children go back to school, Christmas shopping is ahead of us, Statutes Fair in October to content with. The nights will draw in and colder weather, so people can't make other arrangements such as cycling or walking."

Leonie Ashenden said: "Why can't more people use public transport? That way it would help the chaos."

Workers prepare to start work on St Peter's Bridge

Jade Louise Kay was keen to point out how lovely St Peter's Bridge looked without traffic on it. She said: "It looks so pretty. It's a nice quiet time for the bridge to rest and relax.

"We all need maintenance work to be done to use so with is a bridge any different? It's three months; it's not like it's a year."

Roads were busy throughout the day, with congestion continuing to grow during the evening rush hour, with no let up in sight as children prepare to go back to school next week.

Hundreds of parents will be getting into their cars to drop their children off at one of the multiple schools in the town. The increase in cars heading into Burton is expected to cause severe delays to commuters.