BOROUGH councillors have said they are as frustrated as villagers at slow progress to fix a pedestrian crossing in Wroughton that floods regularly.

Parish councillors issued a clear warning to Swindon Borough Council in the Adver yesterday to make changes to the crossing on Devizes Road, which they say becomes dangerous every time it rains.

Ward councillors responded, saying some measures, such as the installation of an underground soakaway to allow surface water to drain off, did not have the desired effect.

Coun Cathy Martyn,who lives in the village and represents it on the authority, said numerous attempts had been made to lobby cabinet members responsible for highways. But their requests for improvement works had been rejected so far.

“We all want the same thing,” she told the Advertiser.

“Councillor Brian Ford and I will continue to lobby for those works to be moved higher up the priority list.

“We encourage children to walk and cycle to school, we encourage residents to walk for health reasons and to improve air quality, but every time it rains heavily, the crossing becomes un-usable until the water drains away, which is a fairly slow process.”

She added: “The council only has a finite amount of money and at the moment is not a priority. What I would like is the crossing to be moved up the priority list and something to be done.

“It’s a really frustrating problem when we are asking people to walk and to use healthier forms of transport.

“You either paddle through or you walk down and cross at another point and walk back and it’s really not acceptable.”

Neville Daytona, who stuck a rubber ring by the crossing during the last downpour, responded, saying: “I can’t see the situation being improved without further prompting.

“An accident or drowning would no doubt compress the minds of the decision makers.”

The council could not confirm when cabinet members would be able to discuss the works within a specific time frame.