The traffic lights around the Callington Road roadworks in Tavistock are to be switched off for the town’s Dickensian Evening Christmas celebrations.

Organisers Tavistock BID (Business Improvement District) confirmed the traffic lights will be switched off from 4pm on Friday, December 5, to allow for trouble-free access on the night.

This has happened after discussion with National Grid, which is installing power cables to The Tors housing development.

The work, which has been causing long tailbacks on Callington Road, Plymouth Road and Ford Street throughout the autumn, will be finished by mid-December, National Grid says.

A National Grid spokesperson said: “The roadworks will be suspended from 4pm on Friday for the Dickensian Evening and will resume on Monday.

“The excavations we are doing are necessary to lay underground cables to provide a new electricity connection for a significant housing development in the town.

“We’d like to thank the community for bearing with us during this inconvenience. We are due to complete all works by mid-December.”