Rogue slug brings Darlington traffic to halt

A slug caused traffic problems at a busy junction in Darlington when it crawled into a traffic light and short-circuited it.

Darlington Borough Council engineers were called to Whinfield Road when the lights failed.

They discovered the dead slug inside the control box.

Councillor Chris McEwan said: "Sadly, you just can't legislate for a rogue slug trying to take out Darlington's traffic system."

The council said the box was being resealed after the incident, on Friday morning, and thanked drivers for their patience.

Mr McEwan, whose Haughton East ward is near the affected lights, said: "Somehow the slug managed to infiltrate the control mechanism, sit on the circuit board and then it got fried.

"We don't know how long the slug had been there.

"Unfortunately, it was dead by the time we found it, so we were unable to question it."