Abingdon's £3.1million traffic system needs major changes or should be scrapped to ease congestion, claims a report into the scheme.

The independent report into Abingdon's Integrated Traffic Strategy (Abits) was commissioned by local campaigner Steve King, and calls for much larger changes than a county council study released last week.

While the council's study suggested only minor adjustments, this second report, commissioned by businesses fed up with congestion in the town, claimed the only solution to traffic problem was to reverse Abits, at a cost of £500,000.

Mr King said: "The report raises serious doubts on the scheme.

"Suffice to say, it's a complete shambles and a disgraceful waste of several million pounds."

The report recommends three ways to improve traffic: re-programming the traffic lights; realigning junctions, or reversing the entire scheme.

Mr King wants all options explored.

He said: "It would make sense to do the first two because that can be achieved fairly easily and fairly immediately without much cost.

"The traffic lights themselves don't have to be changed, the sensors in the road are all in the right place and the lights are all there. It's merely the software that controls the system that would change. This would cost about £70,000."

Members of the Abits working group have been sent copies of the report by consultants Traffic Solutions. They will meet again on July 1.

Ian Hudspeth, county council member for transport, said: "We are ready to read and carefully absorb this report and put it into the melting pot.

"What there will not be is a knee-jerk reaction."

But he said it was impossible to create a "congestion free Abingdon".

He added: "Abingdon was not designed to cope with the amount of traffic currently on its roads."

He said the number of cars in the town had risen by five to six per cent from 2001 to 2007.

Traders in the town say takings are down by 20 per cent, and blame congestion.

The Gift Centre, in Bury Street, contributed to the cost of the £11,000 consultation.

Owner Nick Cosford said: "We just hope the experts and all councillors responsible take notice - and take immediate action."

Peter Tothill, the town's Chamber of Commerce's representative on the working party, raised concerns about the traffic light system.

He said: "It has obviously got its shortcomings. People are held up by the traffic lights for no apparent reason, which is frustrating."

The report can be viewed at action4abingdon.org.