A council and a superstore are blaming each other after road bollards had to be dug up just weeks after they were installed.

The error has triggered a return of traffic chaos on a busy Brighton industrial and retail park.

Brighton and Hove City Council staff and Asda planners only realised after the road project was finished that bollards forming two traffic islands were obstructing traffic.

Now workers are digging up one of the islands so they can move it less than five feet along Crowhurst Road in Hollingbury, Brighton.

The island did not leave enough room for buses to get past parked cars.

It also slowed the traffic flow because it was too close to a bus stop and motorists could not drive round stationary buses.

The problem led to frustrated motorists driving on the wrong side of the road towards on-coming traffic.

The botched road layout is part of a major Asda redevelopment.

Shoppers, workers and passing motorists faced long queues at traffic lights for 12 weeks until the roadworks were completed last month.

This was five weeks for Asda contractors to install the islands and a roundabout, plus another seven for the council to resurface the road.

Now the traffic lights are back as contractors once again dig up the road.

The council blamed the problems on a drafting error in the original plans and asked Asda to move the bollards after a string of complaints.

Roger French, managing director of Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company, said: "We could not get past the island. There was not enough room for our drivers to manoeuvre round them.

"It is very disappointing to hear there are new roadworks because we have only just seen the back of them."

Traffic was building up last night as contractors from Tarmac closed off one side of the road and put up traffic lights.

A council spokeswoman said: "Asda are in charge of this whole scheme. They have accepted responsibility for putting the bollards in the wrong place and they will be footing the bill."

However, a spokeswoman for Asda said: "They were put in as per the original drawings approved by the council.

"As a gesture of goodwill, Asda has agreed to relocate them at our own expense.

"I don't know how much that is going to cost.

"Any works of this scale are going to cause some inconvenience but it has been our aim to keep that to a minimum."

She said contractors were hoping to finish the work by the beginning of next week.