THREE bypass schemes in west Wiltshire are being pushed ahead.

Wiltshire County Council wants to make progress on the proposed Westbury bypass, the Wylye Valley relief road, and the Codford to Heytesbury road.

Ground investigation works are about to start on the Westbury bypass, and the council will start design and assessment work for the necessary planning application which will be submitted in July next year.

The work will cost about £100,000, which has already been allocated by the council.

Design and assessment work has already started on the Wylye relief road, and the plan is to submit a planning application for the Codford to Heytesbury improvement road before July next year.

The council wants all the preparation work done so the statutory orders for the scheme can be advertised.

Richard Lander, the council's director of environmental services, said: "There is a need to progress the development of those major road schemes which have been identified through the development of the Wiltshire Structure Plan, in order to ensure their earliest possible implementation."

The council is waiting to see what effect the Bristol/Bath to South Coast study will have, if any, on the schemes.

Mr Lander said: "The need for each of the schemes has been established and it is likely that the study will also recognise the need for these schemes."