A campaigner is calling on the council to reconsider plans to make a 'dangerous' junction near Devizes safer.

The Black Dog Crossroads, on the outskirts of West Lavington, is now among the top ten most dangerous roads in the county.

Michael Maxwell, who lives in Little Cheverell, says setting up traffic lights is the only way to slow cars down and says the council’s approximately £250,000 plan to realign the junction is unnecessarily expensive and ineffective.  

Mr Maxwell wants the council to explain at a public meeting in Market Lavington why they are spending so much rather than installing traffic lights. 

He said: “I see highways have given themselves a complete let out by making even their flawed scheme dependent on landowner's land sale when five years ago Cllr Whitehead told the Parish Councils that a landowner would not sell land, so the project had to be shelved.” 

On top of this he said the council should use the £22m from the Government’s Highways Maintenance Fund for 2023/24 to install the traffic signals. 

Cabinet member for transport Caroline Thomas, responded and said: “Following discussions with local councillors and the local Parish Councils, it has been agreed that works to realign the junction at Black Dog crossroads near West Lavington will be the most appropriate form of improvement.

"Land purchase negotiations are currently underway to allow delivery of the agreed improvement.

“It is our aim that these works will be undertaken within six months following the successful completion of the land acquisition. We will continue to monitor the location before and after completion of the improvements to assess the effectiveness.” 

Mr Maxwell has criticised the council’s plans many times and even set up protest artwork at the crossroads.

Car parts collected from a crash on the A360 near Devizes were assembled into a structure called 'The Scream' but it was removed by the council in March.