ANGRY villagers fear dangerous drivers speeding past their homes after being diverted from A420 roadworks could kill someone.

Sevenhampton near Highworth has been described as a ‘motorway’ by frustrated neighbours who are trying to stop motorists racing along its narrow, twisting roads at up to 60mph.

One desperate attempt to make drivers stick to the 30mph speed limit involved parking cars along the road rather than on the drives so vehicles must slow down to manoeuvre around them.

Derek Collings, 86, said this reckless driving was the worst he had seen during his 45 years of living in the village.

He said: “They have to slow down, they’re taking a risk. What worries me is that people with young children walk along that road to the school bus and maybe something will only be done if there’s a nasty accident.

“Speeding has been a problem here for a few years but it’s been much worse over the last few weeks. People have shouted abuse at us just for trying to make them slow them down and drive safely.

“I think our worries are being ignored because we’re just a small village.

Neighbour Angela Cook said: “I know people are in a hurry to get where they want to go but they should not be going this fast and should drive respectfully.

“Schoolchildren walking along the verge and standing alongside this tiny lane waiting for the bus are in real danger. We care about where we live and don’t want it to become a racetrack – we moved to the countryside to get away from the noise of a main road.

“This might become a regular thing and the lanes can’t cope with it.”

The village being used as a diversion while roadworks are being carried out on a nearby dual carriageway did not start the speeding problem, but it may have exacerbated the issue. It seems that Sevenhampton is regularly used as a quick cut-through for drivers trying to avoid traffic on the A419 or A420.

Heavy goods vehicles which exceed the road’s seven-tonne weight limit have been spotted thundering along them, which has sparked fears about this cracking the road surface and weakening the small stream bridge.

Some of the villagers voiced their concerns at a Highworth Town Council meeting last month.

One said: “What are you going to do about the ‘motorway’ that’s now outside my house? Cars are coming through at 50 and 60mph.

“It’s horrendous, it’s extremely dangerous, no-one seems to care and it’s bringing extra noise and pollution to the village.”

Since then, Angela has seen police carrying out speed checks around mid-morning and received reassurance that plans are in place to keep an eye on the speed of vehicles that pass through the village.

Coun Maureen Penny, who is also Swindon Borough Council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “Every time there’s a problem on the A419, whether it’s roadworks or an accident or just traffic, people always use Sevenhampton to bypass it, which can be quite dangerous.

“It’s a frequent problem and something had to be done about it. I’m having speed pipes put in place within the next couple of weeks that check the speed of vehicles that drive over them.

“If the results of this prove there is a speeding problem, the villagers and I will set up a Speed Watch group so that they can send relevant information to the police.

“There was a lot of standing water on the roads which has now been drained away by unblocking the gulleys.

“Now that the gas works have been completed, things should calm down a bit and I’ve worked hard to put measures in place to help stop this happening again in future.”