M4 traffic is being diverted overnight through Marlborough for ten days, spurring traffic campaigners to lobby for greater restrictions.

Heavy goods vehicles are already causing daily chaos as they use Herd Street as a rat run - with more than one a minute going past.

And locals say traffic levels are getting worse and worse.

Now they want proposals like congestion charging, one way systems and road reclassification investigated by the council.

“I’ve lived here for more than 20 years,” said Gaye Denyer of Marlborough Traffic Problems, who has got a team of local residents set up to film and monitor the levels of traffic over the next ten days.

“The traffic here is very heavy anyway and it is going to be even worse. We are going to count the traffic and put the figures to Wiltshire County Council.

“We would like to de-prime or de-list as an A road and put weight restrictions on it - or even have a congestion charge. I know that would be unpopular but the pollution levels are so high they are dangerous. Yet there is very little input from the council as to how they are going to stop that.

“We have drains sinking, gas cables get exposed and so it is dangerous as much as anything. They are prepared to spend millions on bypasses and putting lanes elsewhere in the county. Why don’t they invest something here in Marlborough? Its been here hundreds of years.”

Another Herd Street local, Emily Trow said: “Some of the lorries going past here are bigger than some of the houses. It’s crazy. also these houses are listed, so they can’t have double glazing either."

Corinne Jones said: “I’m just waiting for a child or old or vulnerable person to be hit at the crossing."

Caroline Thomas, the local Wiltshire councillor, said: “This is the number one issue here. The volume and the speed is of major concern. The road surface is so poor the lorries literally bounce when they come down. I will be collating all the data and pressing for something to be done."

Between 9pm and 6am for ten weekday nights starting from Monday (June 7), the M4 Eastbound will be closed between J15 and J14 and all traffic aiming for London and Reading will be diverted down the A346, through the Ogbourne, into Marlborough, along the A4 to Hungerford and back up the A338 to rejoin the motorway at J14.

Wiltshire Council has yet to comment.