CAMPAIGNERS are to take part in a third protest march to highlight the need for a bypass around their village, following the death of a man in a car crash.

People living in Beanacre will bring traffic to a standstill as they walk across the busy stretch of the A350 between Melksham and Chippenham near their homes on May 8.

Gary Jardine, bypass project leader for action group Beanacre Matters, said: "We plan to carry on doing the protests until someone takes notice. As long as everyone's keen to stand their ground we will keep pushing."

Mr Jardine said up to 22,000 vehicles a day are using the road, a number that is expected to increase further when Chippenham company Westinghouse Brakes moves its headquarters to Bowerhill business park, Hampton Park East, early next year.

He said: "That will be another 500 cars coming from Chippenham and there is a natural increase in traffic anyway. We want there to be more focus on a bypass for Beanacre due to the increase in traffic over the past few years."

About 30 people joined in the last protest march in February but Mr Jardine hopes better weather might double that number this time.

Insp Sarah Bodell of Melksham police said: "They are quite entitled to cross the road and we allow them to do that but we want to make sure there is minimum disruption to the road and the public and the protesters are safe."

The A350 is one of the main routes in and out of the district and there have been discussions about the need for a bypass as far back as the 1960s.

There have been many accidents along the road in the past few years and the campaign for a bypass has stepped up a gear in the wake of the death of Brian Johnson, 62, who was killed in a three car smash in December.

Mr Jardine has collected about 400 signatures on a petition, which will be sent to roads minister Lord Whitty, and has called on MP Michael Ancram to support the campaign.

Protestors are also planning to put up banners in the village to attract the attention of Transport Minister Tony McNulty, who is due to visit the new Semington bypass in May.

Wiltshire County Council has included provision for a bypass around the village in its structure plan.