SWINDON Council could soon employ a roads tsar to ensure that utility companies do not cause massive disruption by continuing to dig up roads without warning.

New legislation announced in yesterday's Queen's speech included plans to give authorities the power to clamp down on disruption caused by gas, electric-ity and water firms.

And that will come as welcome news to residents and motorists in Old Town who have faced months of misery over the past few years from work carried out by utility companies.

The roads tsar would be in place at the Civic Offices to oversee a strict timetable of work, but would also have the power to slap large cash fines on firms breaching pre-arranged timetables.

Companies wanting to work on roads in Swindon do not currently need to give the council any notice.

Ian Dobie (Con, Haydon Wick), Swindon Council's lead member for transport and the environment, said: "This has been talked about for a long time and I'm aware that at the moment utility services are allowed to dig roads up as and when they like. A road could be resurfaced one week and then a company comes along and digs it up the next in the future companies would all have to work to a timetable and this is something I'm massively in favour of.

"But once again, is the Govern-ment going to give us the money to fund it? Otherwise we're talking about something the local tax-payer will have to pay for.

"A roads tsar is definitely a step in the right direction."

In February this year, motorists in Swindon faced a double dose of misery as work started on two of the town's main routes.

No sooner had Transco moved into Cricklade Street in Old Town work to replace a gas main running from Cricklade Street to the High Street than contractors started on a £500,000 ten-week resurfacing project on the Great Western Way, which reduced rush-hour traffic to a crawl.

In Old Town traffic filtered around the closed-off Cricklade Street, but clogged up in Devizes Road and Albert Street.

The backlog could be felt as far back as Queens Drive and the Magic Roundabout.

The project cost £250,000 and saw 620 metres of 18-inch cast iron pipe replaced with modern and durable plastic piping.

Old Town drivers eager to avoid the jams drove the wrong way up one-way streets and some even ignored signs that showed Cricklade Street was closed, such was their desire to beat the queues.

Roadworks cause misery for traders.

Rose Earle, manager of Earle's newsagents in Newport Street, said: "They are a nightmare.

"They clog up the area meaning people stay away and pedestrians have difficulty getting around the area, and are also noisy and dirty and stop deliveries.

"We know you've got to have them and it does need some level of co-ordination.

"But I think it should be done on a regional level if it was with Swindon Council it would be just another job that would cost us taxpayers. It needs to be cost-effective."

South Swindon MP Julia Drown welcomed the news that a roads tsar could soon be in place.

She said: "Roadworks have caused such frustration in Swin-don.

"I just hope that the law comes in really soon to give the council powers to manage things better.

"If we can make the situation on the roads more sensible it will take some of the everyday strain out of busy working lives."

Giles Sheldrick