The dreaded repair works at Prison Bridge in Devizes have proved bearable thanks to the consideration and good humour of the man who operates the temporary lights.

What could have brought the already congested town centre to a dead stop has proved only slightly more inconvenient than usual.

The man at the centre of it, 47-year-old site engineer Richard Byrne, known as Maverick, has been applauded for the way he has handled it and his fans have even posted their praises on Facebook.

One correspondent to the Gazette, Kerry Sadd, said: “He is a real celeb in town. Not only does he keep the traffic moving, he also smiles and waves at everybody. This man is a legend. No one likes traffic jams but this man keeps you smiling.”

The feeling is mutual, as divorced father-of-two Mr Byrne told the Gazette this week.

He said: “The town is absolutely fantastic, full of lovely people. I’ve not had one negative comment. People wave as they drive past and pedestrians stop and pass the time of day.

“We stay in digs at the White Bear during the week. It is a wonderful place.”

Mr Byrne has been working for contractors De Havilland Fabrications in Stroud for six years. The repairs to the bridge have been ordered by the Canal & River Trust, the charity that replaced British Waterways.

The bridge parapet was severely damaged when a car drove through it just over a year ago. When signs began appearing at the entrances to the town, they warned of long delays for at least eight weeks.

But motorists soon found that the delays were not noticeably longer than normal at peak times and little traffic has been reported taking “rat runs” through villages.

Mr Byrne said: “The council insisted that the lights were operated manually at peak times. It is not an arduous job, even in the wet weather.”

He said that the work is on schedule to be completed by the second week in June.