WESSEX Water has outlined its programme for five months of roadworks which will bring traffic chaos to London Road, Devizes this summer.

The company put on an exhibition in the Wessex Room of the Corn Exchange last Thursday to show what is planned and why it is necessary.

It said the huge scheme was necessary because many of the water mains in the town were laid in the late 19th century and early 20th century, and are no longer large enough to meet the expected demand from the new houses planned on the north-eastern side of town.

The area is served by one eight-inch and one 12-inch diameter water main and the plan is to lay a much larger 18 inch main beside them. The water from the eight-inch main will then be transferred to the 12 inch main.

It is hoped the capacity of the new main will ensure that all homes will have sufficient water pressure in the

future.

Wessex Water accepted the work will cause extensive disruption to traffic, but said it will try to minimise this by carrying out the work in three

distinct phases.

The first phase, starting on Tuesday, will cover the stretch of the A361 London Road between the roundabout at Hopton industrial estate and Cannings Hill Garage.

This is likely to take seven weeks and, during this time, northbound traffic will be diverted through the industrial estate, where developer, Gaiger Brothers, has agreed to upgrade the road surface so that it can be adopted by Wiltshire County Council.

This is necessary because traffic cannot legally be diverted down a road that is not officially adopted.

Wessex Water had originally planned to divert the traffic through the Marina Meadows housing estate but residents objected.

The most disruptive part of the work will begin at the end of June, when the stretch of the A361 between the Windsor Drive roundabout and the Hopton roundabout is dug up.

There is no opportunity to divert traffic off London Road on this stretch and single-lane working with traffic lights will operate. It has been scheduled between June 28 and August 30 to avoid disruption to schools during exam time.

From August 30 until the middle of October the stretch north of the Horton roundabout will be tackled, taking the new main to the reservoir which serves the town. Here again temporary traffic lights will be in operation.

The supply of water to households should not be disrupted except for short periods and Wessex Water said customers will be given 48 hours'

notice of these cuts.

The laying of the water mains are not the only roadworks that will be slowing traffic through the area this summer.

Wiltshire County Council highways department has also outlined major road maintenance schemes that will be tackled this year.

The A360 from Potterne through to Littleton

Panell will be resurfaced, and drainage and kerbing work will be carried out.

The work will start on June 28 for nine weeks and there will be overnight closures on July 26 and August 9.

Steve Cross, divisional highways manager for the county council, said: "The state of the A360 by the Littleton Panell bridge has been the biggest source of our complaints."

The A342 from Wedhampton to

Chirton will have the same work carried out over a ten-week period starting on August 23 with a road closure on

October 25.

Meanwhile, patching work will be undertaken on the Southbroom Road and along Bath Road during July or August.

Major work has been postponed on Bath Road until next year as the county council did not want to clash with the Wessex Water work on London Road.

Mr Cross said: "The work we do will cause disruption in Devizes but we try to minimise it as much as possible and try to phase the work as best we can."