Rush hour queues in the UK could come to an end, thanks to the development of smart traffic lights.

The new systems have been designed to identify heavy traffic and change traffic light patterns to reduce congestion.

The new artificial intelligence driven systems will appear first in Milton Keynes, where £3m is being invested in the technology.

The system should be online by September of next year.

The aim of the company behind the system, Vivacity Labs, assert that it could be the beginning of an AI traffic management system that will eventually be able to communicate with autonomous vehicles.

UK traffic lights currently operate in set sequences, which do not react to the amount of traffic passing them.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Chief technology officer at Vivacity Labs, Yang Lu said: "There is very limited intelligence to the current management of urban roads. Traffic lights are sequenced but rarely reactive to the levels of traffic around them. Traffic monitoring is still done manually."

Vivacity Labs aims to install 2,500 AI-driven cameras into traffic lights in order to monitor key roads, junction and car parks.

The firm's Milton Keynes project has benefited from £1.7m funding from the Department for Business' start-up arm, Innovate UK.

50 square miles of roads will be covered by the new network.

Ambulances, buses and cyclists will be prioritised in order to keep traffic flowing.

Yu said: "The AI camera accurately identifies and reports road usage, removing the need for cumbersome manual interpretation and significantly reducing the potential for human error.

"It can improve traffic today as it can be linked with existing management systems to keep vulnerable road users, such as cyclists, safe by giving priority at lights, or alter signs to direct traffic away from congestion."