Traffic lights keep breaking for a very bizarre reason, wreaking havoc on the streets

Traffic lights are switched off – by snails.

The slippery mollusks have squeezed themselves into electrical cabinets to warm themselves, but then they short out the electrical system and fizzle out.

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At least one traffic light per month fails in a municipal area, causing traffic chaos.

South Gloucs Council has now set up a ‘snail group’ to prevent damage and secure sites.

In an online video, a maintenance technician said: “Snails are a major problem at any site that is not properly sealed or breaks down.

“They just briefly close across terminals and cause big problems.”

A colleague added: “If there’s a small hole somewhere, they come in.

“You can reseal it and make sure it’s watertight.”

Other pests also wreak electrical havoc, but snails are “the worst,” revealed the engineer.

The council said: “Slugs, snails, spiders and mice are attracted to the warmth of our traffic light switch cabinets, but they can cause big problems – spinning webs channeling condensation or slime build-up across them and shorting out expensive circuit boards.

“This is by no means unique to South Gloucestershire.”