THE full cost of a controversial traffic census which brought Worcester to its knees can today be revealed - and the complaints over it.

Your Worcester News has obtained full details on the mammoth council operation which gridlocked parts of the city last month.

We can reveal:

- The cost to taxpayers of the survey topped more than £1,000 an hour, coming in at a total of £20,075

- During the census a staggering 5,715 motorists were pulled over and 164 drove off after refusing to take part

- 17 complaints were made by disgruntled drivers, 14 to Worcestershire County Council and three to West Mercia Police

- The costs including a policing bill of £11,340 to keep officers on duty from 7am to 7pm while the survey was being conducted

The release of the data, obtained under a Freedom of Information request, has led to fresh criticism from motorists stuck in the delays.

But the county council says it believes the survey could unlock the keys to extra Government funding for millions of pounds, insisting it believes the pain was worth it.

Driver Carl Ruskins, 51, of Powick, who was caught in it while trying to get to work at a school in Worcester, said: "The fact is 6,000 people had their journeys disrupted and messed about with that day by being pulled over, but how many more were stuck behind them?

"If they don't get any extra money from the Government that's one heck of a tick box exercise.

"I'd never seen anything like it, you'd have thought it was flooding or something like that all over again. I was furious."

The council says it believes the bill to taxpayers is "good value" compared to the potential rewards.

Councillor John Smith, cabinet member for highways, said: "The days of just ticking a box and getting money from the Government are long gone, we know they are looking to put more funds into highways and we must be there with our begging bowl, so to speak.

"Dare I say, this is good value for money in terms of what we are trying to get out of it."

The survey, on Wednesday October 22, led to drivers in five city locations being pulled over and asked to do a survey of four basic questions.

It caused massive problems around south Worcester, with reports of buses taking two hours to get from Malvern to the city centre and delays of up to 90 minutes on routes like the A449 Malvern Road and A4440.

The data from it is being used to firm up bids to the Department for Transport for future Government funding.