THE new £800,000 ‘front door’ to Swindon is being dug up just three months after it was completed.

People in Wellington Street had complained to the council about the noise caused by commuters dragging cases over the ribbed paving from 5am every day.

The work on the road that links the railway station to the town centre - which the council says it us unable to put a cost on - has been criticised by Labour councillor Bob Wright.

He said: “I would rather the work be done than have it left in a sorry state but the fact that the council couldn’t do it right the first time is a serious concern.

“This is costing the taxpayer more money and it’s not the first problem the road has had.

“There have been issues with the drainage, there were puddles where no puddles had been before, buses have hit a post on the turn when they come up the road and pedestrians aren’t walking to the crossing, they’re still crossing at the end of the road like they used to.

“The design initially looked good, but it has caused plenty of problems since.

“This isn’t the construction company’s fault,” added Coun Wright: “During the original consultation, there was supposed to be a higher standard of paving.

“But due to circumstances which we still haven’t got to the bottom of, too much money was spent and different materials needed to be ordered.

“Extra funding was secured and so there wasn’t too much difference in the materials, but that was the first thing that went wrong.

“The council seriously needs to look at itself.”

The town centre 'gateway' was torn up and relaid in April after the council found the paving used was 'not up to scratch'.

It came under fire following its unveiling in June when large puddles formed and residents complained about the glare from bright floodlights shining into their homes.

A spokesman for the council said: “The development was one of the council’s key town centre regeneration pledges.

“It has created a much more welcoming environment around the railway station and a more accessible route into the town centre.

“Since the work was completed, a few concerns were raised about the paving directly outside Wellington House. As a result, we consulted with residents and we agreed to replace a small section of paving.

“It’s a small and simple piece of work which will cause minimum disruption to residents and commuters.”

The changes have been welcomed by residents in the area and members of the Swindon Blind Association.

One Wellington Street resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “All residents complained about the type of pavement they put down.

“We would have thousands of people coming up and down the path, from 5am to midnight, constantly creating noise across the ribbed areas.

“But it’s great to see changes being made. It is three months down the line but it’s amazing that we have been listened to.

“The impact really has been horrendous but the whole process has so far been brilliant.”

Alongside the residents, Gavin McKelvin, owner of the Great Western Hotel at the end of Wellington Street, praised the council for their actions as well as the way they communicated the changes.

He said: “The management at the council have been very helpful.

“We were told in advance that there would be changes as there was complaints about the noise and even we have had people tell us how bad the sound was.

“They couldn’t foresee that the pavement they were putting down would cause the amount of disturbance that it did.

“As a business, the council have been brilliant to us. They really communicated what they would be doing and it could have been a lot worse.

”They rang us up on the Friday and said we’ll be starting construction on the Monday.”