Residents of Wiltshire are “very disappointed, frustrated and angry” that their village is suffering from the A36 closure, a parish council said.

The volume of vehicles trying to squeeze through narrow lanes at Limpley Stoke has more than doubled since the closure of the main road from Bath to Warminster earlier this month.

The council recorded 638 vehicles going down Crowe Hill between 6am and 10am on Monday, August 19, compared to 234 vehicles on Monday, July 15.

The A36 Warminster Road between Limpley Stoke and Monkton Combe is closed for safety improvement works, including stabilization of the southbound embankment, from Monday, August 12 to spring 2025. 

Now parish council chairman Ian Barnes says: “Understandably, everyone is very disappointed, frustrated and angry that the village is suffering from the National Highways decision to close the A36.”

Mr Barnes says the situation seems to have improved since August 19 but adds: “However, there are still some pinch points which become more serious at peak times.”

The parish council asked National Highways to put measures in place to alleviate the situation but most have been rejected as unworkable or cannot legally be upheld.

National Highways has put signed diversions in place for the A36 closure but some drivers are still following SatNavs and trying to use local roads as alternative routes.National Highways has put signed diversions in place for the A36 closure but some drivers are still following SatNavs and trying to use local roads as alternative routes. (Image: National Highways)

In response, National Highways said: “We’re sorry for the disruption the start of this closure has caused and we understand your frustration, particularly as traffic marshals weren’t in place initially.

“During the first few days of a closure, we expect to see an increase in traffic on local roads.

“That’s often because drivers with local knowledge choose to find their own way instead of following the official diversion route.

“Our experience shows that the volume of traffic then decreases as drivers find alternative routes/change their habits.

“We also monitor the closure to identify any additional measures, such as signs, we can put in place to manage any areas that experience problems.”

National Highways says it will continue to “monitor the situation” but says its traffic marshals lack the powers to stop vehicles on roads not subject to temporary traffic restriction orders.

The agency will put traffic marshals at Church Lane, Middle Stoke and Waterhouse Lane, as well as modifying the traffic management set-up at these locations to deter drivers looking to rat-run.

The government agency has also installed signage for the closure and added more cones as a visual deterrent to reduce the volume of vehicles using local roads.