BUSINESSMEN on the Snaygill Industrial Estate, Skipton, face a daily battle trying to get home after work.

The amount of traffic on Keighley Road means that motorists have to fight their way out onto the main road, often creating queues all the way down the industrial estate's drive and into the car parks of local businesses.

They have sent complaints to North Yorkshire Highways and asked them to solve to the growing congestion problem.

Paul Whitaker, who runs a heating business from there, said it was chaos trying to get out onto Keighley Road during rush hour.

"No one can get out because there is so much traffic coming in and out of Skipton," said Mr Whitaker, who is a member of Craven District Council. "There is a constant stream of traffic, and wagons turning right have to wait for it to clear in both directions and it never does."

He added that the traffic chaos must put off businesses wanting to move onto the site.

Staff at Mr Whitaker's firm, PH Whitaker, said they often waited at least 20 minutes just to get from the business at unit 5, Craven Nursery Park, up the drive to the Keighley Road exit.

Sue Townson, from Pocket Bed Spring Company, said: "It is horrendous. On a Monday we finish at 5pm but it is not worth leaving until at least 5.20, because it takes that long to get out of the estate."

Mrs Townson said that cars queued past the entrance to their car park and employees struggled even to get out onto the drive leading to the exit. She added a roundabout or another access road could help alleviate the situation.

At the recent North Yorkshire Area Committee, Craven District Councillor Marcia Turner said: "We have had a lot of complaints from the wholesalers and the tradesmen on Snaygill Industrial Park."

She added that it took her partner, Coun Whitaker, on average one hour a day to get out of the Keighley Road junction.

"There are queues of people who have to rely on goodwill to get out," said Coun Turner.

She added that a mysterious official had been seen surveying the traffic problems and taking notes but both Coun Turner and Coun Whitaker said he had been there on a Friday afternoon - the last day of the month - which was not a fair reflection of the volume of traffic.

"A Friday is different to other days because people finish early and the traffic is more staggered," said Coun Whitaker.

And Coun Turner added that anyone in business would know that companies did not buy goods on the last day of the month.

Bill Isherwood, area traffic manager, said he had agreed to put together a draft proposal and costs for a roundabout at the site. It will be added to the schemes to be looked at next year.