THE £65m Blunsdon bypass is being branded an accident blackspot – only one year after the flagship project was opened.

And the 70mph stretch of the A419 is confusing some people so much that traffic police are catching them driving along it the wrong way.

Motorists blame confusing road markings and a lack of signs. In the last week alone, there have been at least four accidents on the 3.5km length of road.

A car collided with the central reservation at the bottom of Blunsdon Hill on the northbound carriageway during early morning rush-hour on Thursday.

And in a separate incident in the same spot a recycling trailer carrying glass overturned.

PC Glenn Powell, from the Northern Roads Policing Team, said officers regularly get called to accidents on the by-pass.

He said: “We’ve caught at least four motorists going the wrong way down the carriageway when they go north and want to go south to the M4.

“It looks like it’s difficult for people to understand and they get confused.”

Some drivers think these latest accidents should prompt the Highways Agency and Swindon Council to look again at the safety implications of the busy road.

A north Swindon motorist, who did not want to be named, said: “It’s a dangerous enough road anyway let alone if you’re not from the area.

“People haven’t got a clue which lane they should be in, then they panic, and try to correct themselves quickly.

“It’s a complete accident blackspot.”

Sharon Kemnitz, the manager of The Cold Harbour pub in Blunsdon, said many of her customers inform her of accidents on a near daily basis. “There are always accidents,” she said.

“There’s been head-on collisions going left over the bridge.”

She also said passing trade has been affected by the by-pass as the new road takes travellers away from her pub.

The bypass consists of one under-bridge, two over-bridges and a junction. It was built to improve improve safety, relink the two halves of Blunsdon – separated by the old A419, and provide a continuous route for drivers between the M4 to the M5.

A spokesman for the Highways Agency said: “Safety audits are being carried out on the road.

“We are also looking to put up a north and south sign on Thamesdown Drive to inform motorists what lane they should be in heading onto the bypass.

“This is waiting for an agreement with Swindon Council and will be go up in the near future.”

Coun Doreen Dart (Con, Blunsdon) said: “The road is still new to a lot of people.

“Anything to ensure the safe situation of lane direction will be helpful.”

A Swindon Council spokesman said “We’re monitoring the situation and we’ve recognised that some additional road markings may be beneficial in order to distinguish between the lanes used by traffic heading north and south on the A419.

“As a result of this, council officers have entered into discussions with the Highways Agency and are hoping to finalise proposals to install lane discipline signs at Junction 1 of Thamesdown Drive.

“We hope that the new directional signing and lining proposed for Thamesdown Drive will help motorists navigate the junction more effectively, but in the meantime we would be very interested to hear from anyone with any issues or problems with the junction.”

One positive result of the bypass is that it has reduced the level of noise in some of the neighbouring areas.

The reduction of traffic has come as a relief to people in Blunsdon High Street. In the lower parts of Blunsdon, there have been complaints that noise levels have increased.

Stuart Boyd, chairman of Blunsdon St Andrew Parish Council, said: “There are some people in the lower village who are hearing more traffic.

“That is just because of the peculiar acoustics of the shape of the road and shape of the hill. That’s being investigated. Overall it has been a success for the village.”

Contact Swindon Council on 01793 463725 with any issues to do with the junction.