RESIDENTS in Marina Meadows, Devizes, are furious that traffic from London Road could soon be roaring past their door.

Wessex Water sent out letters this week to warn it will be laying a new water main right along London Road. It wants to avoid traffic chaos and divert traffic coming into town.

The work is due to begin on May 3 and last for five months, which would mean traffic would be diverted right through the school holidays.

Wessex Water plans to divert traffic off London Road at Horton Avenue then take it through the Marina Meadows estate, turning right at the tight junction with Naughton Avenue, along to Hambleton Avenue and rejoining the A361 at the roundabout opposite Fussell Wadman car dealership.

The county council estimates that more than 2,000 vehicles move along London Road each day and residents are angry they have only just been told about the work.

Two young mothers, Julia Stewart and Julie Nipress, are now spearheading a campaign against the diversion. They have already got scores of signatures on a petition, and plan to lobby Wessex Water directors and turn up in force at an exhibition being planned by the company at the Corn Exchange from 2.30pm to 7.30pm next Thursday.

Mother-of-three Mrs Stewart, said: "This could be so dangerous for our children, especially during the summer holidays. They are always popping up to Lidl to get sweets and so on, and they like to go round to each other's houses all over the estate.

"The reason we moved here in the first place was that it was quiet. If we wanted to live on a main road we would have done so in the first place."

Dozens of residents turned up at a photocall organised by the two mums for the Gazette yesterday, some of them taking time off work to show the strength of their feelings.

Mrs Stewart said: "A lot of people apologised for not being able to turn up, but they back the campaign 100 per cent and say they will sign the petition."

Another resident, Stewart Poulton, said: "As a piece of traffic management this plan is rubbish. I can't understand why they are not diverting the traffic through Hopton Industrial Estate. There are good wide roads there and no children or animals."

There has also been widespread concern about pollution and noise during the summer months.

Mrs Nipress said: "Because this is a quiet estate, children are not used to a lot of traffic.

"They ride their bikes around here and like to use the rough ground in the centre of the estate to play on.

"But they have to cross the road to get to it. It will be a nightmare."

Resident Caroline Dunford said the traffic would be less than three feet away from her windows. She said: "This is going to have a terrible impact on our lifestyle and our health."

Staff at Avonmead nursing home, by the canal, are also concerned that ambulances will have difficulty getting to them in the event of an emergency.

Wessex Water says it needs to renew the water main because of the number of new homes planned for the area. Some 680 homes are in the pipeline for various sites along London Road, including Quakers Walk, Roundway Mill, the former Kverneland factory, Le Marchant Barracks and on Naughton Avenue.

A spokesman said: "We have worked closely with county highways on the choice of the diversion and this was thought to be the best route. Hopton Industrial Estate was considered but this would have involved an extra long diversion. Also, large deliveries are being made all day long and this would increase congestion.