Seagry residents are outraged at the way in which the village's well-kept verges and roads have been damaged by heavy traffic.

Parish clerk Mary Kemp says traffic flows through the village have increased significantly over the past few months because of diversions caused by repair works on the Sutton Benger Bridge to Chippenham.

The stream of heavy vehicles had reached even greater levels last month when flooding at Kingsway Bridge, outside Corston, caused traffic to be re-routed through Seagry for several days.

Mrs Kemp said: "The traffic was horrendous. The trucks took the edges off the lovely, trimmed verges, and the roads are now about two foot wider.

"There are tyre marks on the verges and potholes in the roads."

"From looking nice enough to win the best kept village competition, it's deteriorated into a real eyesore."

Earlier this year Seagry won the Best Kept Small Village in Wiltshire Competition for the eighth time.

Mrs Kemp said: "The residents are fed up with all the traffic. The last three to four months have been the final straw."

Wiltshire County Councillor, Carole Soden, said the council had devised a new lorry strategy aimed at rerouting heavy vehicles on to major roads through the use of measures such as weight restrictions on minor roads.

The report was currently being considered by the national Transport Ministry for approval.

Mrs Soden said: "We are hoping to have an answer from Government before Christmas."

She said the council was also in talks with the Hauliers Association to encourage lorries to use major roads instead of rat-running through villages.