THEY try to tame the creature that flows through Warrington's streets everyday.

It is unpredictable - sometimes snarling and overpowering, sometimes tame and serene.

"It's a strange beast. It changes its mind whenever it likes," said John Redmond, the principal engineer at Warrington Borough Traffic Control Centre.

"You never know what the traffic flow is going to be from one day to the next. I haven't worked anywhere with such variety."

John is one of the people responsible for monitoring and controlling traffic in Warrington from an office in Palmyra House.

The control room looks like a blend of a DJ's mixing desk and crisis centre - and it has something in common with both.

The staff face banks of CCTV and several computers ring each seat.

Data pours from hundreds of different cameras, traffic light monitors and measurement systems.

Cheshire County Council had responsibility for traffic control until 2001 but Warrington was not a top priority and the system was in a poor state of repair when Warrington Borough Council took over.

The centre was created in a £5m improvement scheme and is now as modern as almost anywhere in the country.

It has its own state-of-the-art server room, matched by only three other authorities in the country. It can be upgraded to store 10 terrabytes of data - about the same as 100 household PCs.

New technology will also help drivers.

There are plans for text messages to warn drivers of diversions and the council is in discussions with Manchester Ship Canal Company about text message alert of swing bridge movements.

Traffic light settings are also being reviewed and changes are expected to the A49 Winwick Road junction with Long Lane.

And instant diversions will be created to take traffic away from the air quality management zone that surrounds Wilson Patten Street and Parker Street when pollution levels get too high.

Warrington is unique in that it is boxed in by three separate motorways and the Runcorn to Widnes bridge. When there are problems, the Highways Agency sends that traffic through the town centre.

The traffic information signs built on routes through town have proved successful in diverting those drivers.

"With the old system we couldn't do a great deal. We had to let it go through the town centre," said Mr Redmond.

"It was a dumping ground for the motorway network and at times we just lost control."

The biggest incident Warrington can face is a complete closure of the M6. In 2002, a major accident closed it for 12 to 14 hours and traffic went back to Birmingham. It happens once or twice a year and sends an extra 25-60,000 vehicles into Warrington. Even the town's major roads carry less than 5,000 vehicles an hour.

The staff spend months creating incident plans for situations like that - and minutes putting them into action. Quick communication is crucial. A crash closed the M6 northbound earlier this month and tens of thousands of vehicles were diverted through the town centre.

"We were told about it in nine minutes," said John Redmond. "We put diversions in place for Manchester Road and we sent the HGVs down Long Lane."

Sometimes everything works smoothly. But the unexpected taxi drivers' go slow' in spring created pandemonium in the town centre.

"There was nothing we could do other than watch," said John.

The job of managing the information and taming the traffic is complicated - but the staff enjoy the work.

John said: "It's a always a good challenge to try to beat the congestion."