MILLIONS of pounds are being invested to reduce traffic congestion across the county.

As well as developing congestion-cutting schemes, Worcestershire County Council is reinforcing its frontline team that deals directly with complaints from residents.

Thousands of calls and messages are handled every year by the team - two thirds of which are logged online. The council resolves 85 per cent of these on average within a month.

A new service is now being introduced to allow residents with complex cases to speak directly to highways staff.

Cllr Alan Amos, cabinet member with responsibility for roads, said: "We have listened to our customers who have told us that there are times when they want to talk to a highways officer.

"We have now enabled this to happen and residents can opt to follow up an existing enquiry or talk to a dedicated team of highways officers about a more complex issue."

Issues can still be reported online, with feedback sent to residents' email addresses.

For more information visit worcestershire.gov.uk/homepage/98/report_it.