People in Swindon have praised the council for repainting the faded road markings on a busy roundabout and called for them to do the same in other locations around town. 

One local, Gary, posted on Facebook to say it was ‘about time’ the infamous Magic Roundabout was repainted, which has been responsible for 17 major accidents since opening in 1972.

Workers were seen using cones to cordon off a section of road at a time to repaint the lines on Monday, July 1 and Tuesday, July 2.

But others think the work is overdue and Swindon Borough Council should repaint the faded white lines on other roundabouts and junctions around town, as well as resurfacing the roads with the worst potholes.

Vernon commented: “Now they just need to get on with the remaining roundabouts and miles and miles of road where the markings are all but worn off.

“Blagrove roundabout, Great Western Way between Meads and Barnfield to name just two locations. Should be a rolling programme of repainting, not just allow things to get to such a poor state in the first place.”

And another person commented: "It needs resurfacing as well as paint, that's the trouble." 

A Swindon Borough Council spokesperson said: "Although Swindonians are perfectly adept at navigating the Magic Roundabout, some visitors to the town find it a daunting prospect.

"It is therefore important that, in order to keep traffic moving safely and freely, its road markings are clear and visible.

“Unfortunately, as is the case with all junctions that are used by tens of thousands of motorists each day, the markings become faded over time, which is why it was included in our annual re-lining programme.

"We’ll also be returning to carry out some remedial work on the iconic roundabout over the summer.

“Last year, we repainted road markings at more than 200 locations across the Borough as part of our ongoing highway maintenance programme and we will be carrying out further re-lining over the coming months.”