Cabbies are furious over a city centre route being closed off which they believe has made traffic congestion worse for them.

Traffic has been banned from Exchange Street as part of the county council's Connecting The Norwich Lanes project.

The changes have allowed the introduction of additional outside seating on a number of roads including Exchange Street.

But Hackney Carriage drivers are calling on the council to reopen the road after long tailbacks caused delays up to one hour on Saturday in the city centre loop.

Black cab driver Craig Dimbleby said: "What the council is trying to achieve is making our life impossible.

Norwich Evening News: Craig Dimbleby who is a taxi driver in NorwichCraig Dimbleby who is a taxi driver in Norwich

"It's been absolutely horrendous. It took me 45 minutes to get from City Hall back to the train station. Getting out to the roundabout at the top of Grapes Hill was horrendous.

"There is no afterthought gone into the closure of Exchange Street and a lot of drivers put in remarks against the plans."

The county council has said a consultation was carried out in the summer of 2021 for Connecting The Norwich Lanes.

A total of 58pc of respondents liked the proposals, 12pc were indifferent and 36pc disliked them.

And businesses can still access Exchange Street for loading before 10am and after 4pm.

Ryan Self, who has worked in the taxi industry in the city for 20 years, said: "Everyone in the rank is concerned this will kill trade.

"It's a nightmare and it feels like the taxi drivers are being targeted."

Councillor Martin Wilby, cabinet member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure at Norfolk County Council, said: “The changes to Exchange Street that remove general traffic and create a pedestrian and cycle zone have been in place on a temporary basis for over two years.

"The Norwich lanes and the surrounding area see a significant number of people walking and cycling through the city every day and these changes will improve this experience even further, while supporting the local economy and improving air quality.

"When we asked people about the proposals last year as part of our Connecting the Lanes consultation, the majority of people supported both the overall project and the proposals on Exchange Street.”