PEOPLE in Cricklade Road claim that roadworks turned the daily routine of entering and exiting their driveways into a nightmare.

Luke Kaye, 34, who runs Skywalker's Fancy Dress shop in Fleet Street, said that he had spent nearly half-an-hour most days this week trying to reverse his Hyundai car onto the main road.

And he blames inconsiderate motorists for the delay.

Mr Kaye, who is also known in his shop as Luke Skywalker, said: "On Monday I spent ages trying to reverse out of my drive because people just would not let me out it was a night-mare.

"My son and daughter ended up being late for school and I ended up getting very angry."

The traffic flow problems are the result of Thames Water mains pipe work along Cricklade Road, which started on Monday and is scheduled to finish tomorrow.

That can't come soon enough for Mr Kaye. "All the cars waiting along the road know I am trying to get out but they refuse to let me.

"I even reversed into someone's car. I thought he was letting me out, but he wasn't, Luckily there was no damage."

On Tuesday morning Mr Kaye risked the wrath of angry motorists when he halted traffic to allow his neighbour to reverse his caravanette from his drive.

"Things are especially bad along Cricklade Road but this was a night-mare. Everyone was sounding horns, people were just so ignorant," he said.

Mr Kaye said impatient motorists using the bus lane had made the prob-lem worse.

"Because the bus lane runs straight past my drive it is jam packed and no -one will let you out.

"Even the workmen stand there laughing with cups of tea in their hands.

"I understand that this kind of work has to be done but if people were a little bit more considerate towards the people who live along Cricklade Road things would be a lot better."

Swindon Council spokeswoman, Lynda Fleming, said a message had been aired on radio warning residents of possible delays along Cricklade Road.

She added that the complaint would be passed on to the council's recently appointed full-time streetworks inspect-or whose job is to ensure that utility companies do not overrun their time on the borough's roads.

In the past year the inspector has helped the council charge companies over-running their time on the highways £350,000. Of that total £97,000 has been recovered with the rest currently in dispute.

Thames Water spokesman, Andrew Boyd, said: "We are moving along the street as quickly as we possibly can.

"The work outside Mr Kaye's house should be finished soon and we'll be out of his way.

"I apologise if we have caused any inconvenience, particularly if our contractors have been unhelpful.

"Once the work is completed, hopefully by the weekend, we will not have to do any more for a few years."