TRAFFIC congestion in Edinburgh has been steadily worsening over the past five years, with tailbacks and delays in the Scottish capital now among the worst in the UK.

Analysis of traffic flows worldwide by satellite navigation specialists, TomTom, show that Edinburgh's roads are the fourth most gridlocked in the UK.

Drivers in the city waste an average of 41 minutes per day stuck in traffic - equivalent to 158 hours a year.

Congestion in Edinburgh was five per cent worse in 2015 than it was in 2010, according to TomTom, compared to a one per cent decline in congestion over the same period in Glasgow.

Only Belfast, London and Manchester now rate higher than Edinburgh for gridlock.

The sudden closure of the Forth Road Bridge in the run up to Christmas was blamed for the worst traffic jams to hit the capital last year, on December 3. The crossing, which links Edinburgh and Fife, was closed to traffic after defects were detected in the steelwork, leading to lengthy diversions for motorists using the route.

The gridlock blackspots in the capital during 2015 included the route via Charlotte Square, Lothian Road and Earl Grey Street, and the junction of Queensferry Road and Maybury Road.

Meanwhile, Glasgow recorded a one per cent dip in congestion between 2010 and 2015, making Scotland's largest city only the 17th most gridlocked in the UK.

However, congestion was up two per cent year-on-year, with drivers in the city typically spent 32 minutes per day stuck in traffic.

Heavy snowfall on January 16 2015 was blamed for the city's worst tailbacks last year, with Balshagray Avenue and a section of the M8 between the junctions for Hillington and Cumbernauld the worst for tailbacks.

The pattern of worsening congestion in the UK contrasts with a general decline in traffic jams for the rest of Europe, where congestion is down by an average of three per cent compared to 2010.

Ralf-Peter Schaefer, Vice-President of TomTom Traffic, said: "Studies have shown that policies of ‘predict and provide’ are unsustainable. Building new motorways and ring roads doesn’t eliminate congestion. More must be done to better manage existing road space and to spread demand.

“People simply aren’t doing enough to change their travel habits - such as working flexible hours, avoiding peak commuting times, making use of real–time traffic information and trying alternative travel modes.

“If only five per cent of us changed our travel plans, we could improve traffic congestion on our main roads by up to thirty per cent”.