MOTORISTS face three months of delays on the busy A360 between Devizes and Potterne because of major roadworks and the construction of a new roundabout in Potterne.

The road will be closed altogether in the last week of October and traffic will be diverted on to other routes.

Work is due to start on July 22 on resurfacing the road, putting in roadside kerbing and upgrading the drainage system. A mini-roundabout and zebra crossing will also be built at the junction with Silver Street in Potterne.

The roadworks will begin at the junction with The Fairway and Potterne Road and extend just over a mile into Potterne. Temporary traffic lights will be in use for most of the three months.

The extensive work will include the building of roadside kerbing. At present there is no kerbing on much of the route.

The footpaths will be resurfaced and upgraded and dropped crossing points will also be put in. There will be major upgrading of the drainage system both in Potterne Woods and below Rangebourne Mill, which is liable to flash flooding when inadequate drains become blocked during storms. The road will be planed and resurfaced, and road markings will be amended.

During the roadworks scheme, the bus stops along the route will be improved, and engineers will also install the new gateway sign for Devizes, which was chosen after an exhibition launched by the Devizes Development Partnership.

One of the major changes will be a mini-roundabout and crossing at the busy Silver Street junction, which gives access to two of the village's housing estates.

In a letter to Devizes Town Council, Ringway Parkman's network manager Kevin Robbins said: "Due to the nature of the site, a temporary road closure with a diversion will be operating during the resurfacing works.

"This has been provisionally programmed for the last week in October, but further details will be supplied to you nearer the time."