MOTORISTS will be sent round the houses as a major roundabout is closed off for resurfacing later this month.

Swindon Council has issued a temporary closure order on the Blagrove Roundabout, near Windmill Hill Business Park, and a section of the Great Western Way for two weekends starting from next Saturday.

Visitors to the town coming from junction 16 of the M4 will be diverted on to Whitehill Way and then directed into the town centre via Mead Way.

The stretch of the Great Western Way between the Blagrove Roundabout and Mannington Roundabout will be shut off, meaning motorists attempting to find their way to the motorway will have to either go to junction 15 or via Whitehill Way.

The work is expected to take two weekends, with the road and roundabout being closed between 8pm on the Saturday and 6am on the following Monday.

But the order runs for six weeks until March 31, in the event of scheduled resurfacing taking longer than planned.

A council spokesman said: “The work to resurface the Blagrove Roundabout has been planned for the least disruptive time of the week.

“It is scheduled to happen over two consecutive weekends, the first being the weekend of February 19, and will go on from 8pmon Saturday until 6am on Monday.

“The reason the order is for six weeks is to build in extra time for factors like weather, which could delay the work.

“The signed diversion route for traffic coming from the motorway will be along Whitehill Way and Mead Way, to allow drivers to rejoin the Great Western Way at the Meads Roundabout, with the same route being taken in reverse for traffic coming out of Swindon.”

8 The route the council is telling motorists to take for outgoing journeys is: Mannington Roundabout - Great Western Way - Mead Way - Whitehill Way and Great Western Way. or junction 16 of the M4 - Hay Lane - Wharf Road, then via Wroughton High Street - Moormead Road - Swindon Road - Croft Road - Devizes Road - Bath Road - Kingshill Road - Wootton Bassett Road - Great Western Way.