CAMPAIGNERS travelled to Bristol on Thursday, December 6, to present a petition and protest against plans for the Westbury bypass.

The Westbury Bypass Alliance targeted the Government Office of the South West at a critical time in the decision-making process.

The office will soon decide whether to fund an eastern route across the line of hills alongside the White Horse.

Wiltshire county councillors voted overwhelmingly in favour of the route when they met in July. The decision has not found favour with Westbury MP Andrew Murrison, or groups like the Council for the Protection of Rural England.

Westbury town councillor Adrian Fox is chairman of the bypass alliance and he believes it still has everything to fight for.

He hopes the government office listens to people's protests, and is encouraging anyone to write letters, phone and demand to see decision makers in Bristol.

If this fails the alliance will argue their case, with a barrister, at any public enquiry and challenge any planning applications.

Cllr Fox said: "Around 75-80 per cent of local people opposed the plan but nobody seemed to listen or take this on board.

"We've shown what people think, but this was not even reported to the council committee making the decision."

Cllr Fox argued some statistics were ignored, including evidence that showed an eastern route would be bad for the environment and air quality, and increase the number of road accidents.

He could not see how the decision was made when the council's consultants, Ringway Parkman, never completed a report on the western route's potential.

"The reports on both routes were flawed and the statistics do not stand up to close inspection," he said.

If the bid for the bypass fails the town would have to wait until 2006 for funding for an alternative, but protestors feel it is worth the wait.

Cllr Fox said: "A route serving the trading estate, buses and the train station has got to be a better option. This needs time."

Rosemary Marx, a member of the CPRE, warned the bypass would be part of a super highway to the south coast and would not help the town regenerate.

Residents who attended a public meeting at Westbury town council on Tuesday night were unhappy about the handling of the whole issue and said Blue Circle cement works would be the only firm to benefit from the eastern route.