A TOWN councillor has criticised what he called a lack of planning between councils after three sets of roadworks caused chaos.

Prudhoe Town Council received an update from Gateshead Council on the work at the A695 junction at Prudhoe.

The junction is being transformed into a roundabout due to a planning condition placed on Gentoo Homes by Northumberland County Council, in connection with its 404-home Cottier Grange development in Prudhoe.

The work is currently progressing as planned and should be completed in around six weeks.

However, when the report was presented to Prudhoe Town Council at its meeting on September 25, Coun. Glenn Simpson was critical of the two council’s planning, after two other routes out of the town were closed at the same time.

Coun. Simpson said: “They closed Ovingham Bridge and Hagg Bank at the same time. There’s clearly been some issue.

“I hope the council will plan for it. I don’t understand how it wasn’t picked up by anyone, I think somebody should have.”

The council’s clerk, Sarah Eden, replied that Gateshead Council were aware of the issue but thought there were other routes out of Prudhoe. In August, a spokesman for Gateshead Council explained that the work would have been pushed back a year if it wasn’t started in the summer.