Lorries and trucks could be banned from one of the two main routes into Highworth from the south.

 If a Conservative motion to Swindon Borough Council is passed at the full council meeting on Thursday (July 25), then heavy goods vehicles could be prevented from using the B4000 Shrivenham Road which approaches the hilltop town from the south west, and joins the A361 Highworth Road just south of the town centre at the Fox roundabout.

The road crosses the main A420 from Swindon to Oxford, just north of the village of Shrivenham, and according  to borough councillors representing Highworth, that’s part of the problem, as lorries use the road as a cut-through, avoiding the A419 and the main Highworth Road.

Conservative councillors Vijay Manro and Steve Weisinger’s motion says: “This council believes it is important to preserve the fabric of Highworth and its small roads.

“With all the developments coming forward off the Shrivenham Road, the blight of HGV traffic is increasing along with the air and noise pollution it produces.

“This road is not suitable for the volume of HGVs using it as a through route linking the A420 to Swindon Road.”

It adds: “There are major safety concerns from conflict between pedestrians, cyclists and HGVs including to children walking Warneford School.

The motion adds: “HGVs are causing extensive damage to Fox roundabout and to many of Highworth’s historic buildings through shaking walls and windows.

"Excessive HGV movement is having a detrimental effect on the ability of the town to attract new business, while potentially putting off new residents from moving to the area."

If the motion is passed the council will be instructed to develop "a workable plan to implement as a matter of urgency, an 18-month experimental Traffic Regulation Order under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, effectively banning HGVs from Shrivenham Road and diverting them along the more suitable major roads."

And to come up with “a plan to implement as a matter of urgency, Environmental Weight Restriction Orders on the Shrivenham Road from the A420 to preserve the local areas and protect Highworth and its residents from the adverse effects of noise, vibration, road surface deterioration, and structural impacts.”

For the motion to pass it will need support Labour councillors to either support it or abstain from the vote, with the ruling party holding 41 of the 57 seats in the council chamber.

The motion will be debated at the council meeting starting at 7pm at the Civic Offices in Euclid Street. The public may attend.