THE Highways Agency, the body responsible for the upkeep of major roads, is set to devolve control of a notorious stretch of road to Swindon Council.

The agency has published draft orders for the transfer of the A420, from Botley roundabout in Oxford to Merlin Way roundabout in Swindon.

The agency no longer considers the route to be a priority as part of its "core network" but more commonly used for people travelling locally.

During the past three years there have been 92 casualties on the road including four serious and one fatality accounting for about three per cent of accidents in the borough.

A spokesman for Swindon Council said they did not believe the road to have a particularly high accident rate.

"The fatality took place near the county boundary, but a large proportion of the accidents have been on the approaches to the White Hart roundabout," said Lynda Fleming.

"The transfer should also increase the amount of money we get overall from central Government towards the upkeep of our roads."

The council will be responsible for maintenance, resurfacing, traffic signs and drainage and will get money towards its management.