NEWS of the £4 million Mead Way roadworks completion date being pushed back to October and then November has not gone down well with Adver readers.

Within a week, the September 23 got knocked back to the end of October and now November.

Coun Gary Sumner apologised for the delays and could not promise that it would "definitely" be finished in November, or that the costs won't increase "but we are getting nearer the end and it's getting more likely."

It has now been almost 18 months since the project began in March 2020 and it was originally expected to only take 20 weeks.

The scheme has been beset by problems, including ecological problems caused by great crested newts, the beginning of the pandemic lockdowns which lasted months, and having to move around utility and fibre broadband cables below the road surface.

We asked if readers expected the roadworks to be done and dusted by November as suggested.

Mihail Damyanov: "Excuse me, which November? Just asking for a friend."

Ashley Cain: "I’m amazed the world can beat an unknown disease faster than a 150-metre road replacement. Baffled."

Jon Davis: "Um, nope. They should be working overtime and nights to catch up on their deadlines."

Michael Drummer: "Can l apologise if I'm late with my council tax? Nah, the bailiff will knock to the door."

Ashley Bathe: "It's got to the point that I forgot Mead Way was actually a road, it's been that long. 18 months is mental.

"It only took a year and 45 days to build the Empire State Building."

Mitchell Singh: "I don’t know if I’ll pay my council tax this year - or if I do, I don’t know if I will pay the full amount or not. Assuming this is no issue because there seems to be no repercussions for all these road delays.

"Therefore we can do whatever we want, it looks like?"

Theresa Smith: "What’s with all the cones and lane closures now by B and Q and past Sainsbury’s? It’s just ridiculous."

Karen Mortimer: "Ridiculous. And as soon as this is finished, they will surely have to close Whitehill Way? It’s sinking fast but it is the only way round the Mead Way closure.

Matthew Lane: "Based on how things are being run so far, there is no chance this will be open in November, I’m saying its more likely to be March 2022."

Mark Wood: "Will be finished by November 2033."

Simon Batchelor: "Please everyone sit down - about a week ago I saw three (yes three) diggers in motion on site. With my own eyes.

"True they were probably just shifting dirt from one side of the road to the other. But Swindon wasn’t built in a day. Or in this case 547 days."

Carl Vincent: "All they were supposed to do is widen the road a bit."

Shane Farmer: "I pass this virtually every day and there’s hardly anything being done.

"Chuck some more men at it and get it finished."

Tim Stevens: "In Japan, a 10-metre deep by 15-metre wide sinkhole suddenly appeared overnight a while back.

"Just three days later and you would never of known it had happened, it was sorted that quickly."

Derek Quince: "When utilities are originally put in, why aren’t they put deep enough so that any future road works won’t be held up?

Paul Gilbert: "The amount of roadworks in Swindon at the moment is an absolute joke."

Luke Musto: "If I turned to my manager at work and told them that not only was I going to be still doing the same bit of work as I was 18 months ago, but also it would be significantly over budget...

"But to then delay further twice more as well... I'm not sure I’d have a job to go back to."

Darren Keighley: "Clem Morfuni would have got that all finished by now."

Cheryl Palmer: "I imagine we will still be discussing this mess this time next year."