PLANS to close a rat run road in Devizes took a step closer to reality when town councillors voted to ask a traffic group to examine the scheme in more detail.

Earlier this year scores of people living in the Rotherstone area of the town attended a public meeting and the town council agreed to carry out a survey of residents to see if there was support for closing off one end of the road.

Now armed with the result of the consultation the town council has voted to take the project to the next stage and ask the Community Area Traffic Group to carry out more work.

But town council planning committee members said the difficult decision would be to decide exactly where the road should be closed.

Coun Judy Rose said: "I have no problem with agreeing to close the road the problem is where? Wherever is decided some people will not be happy."

Mayor Nigel Carter said his preference would be for the road to be closed close to Dyehouse Lane and Cemetery Gate."

A report to the committee showed that out of 30 people living in Rotherstone who responded when asked if they would support Rotherstone being closed at the cemetery end 12 said they would support it, eight said they did not support it and 10 said they would conditionally support it.

People from Colston Road, Avon Terrace, Jubilee Buildings, Dyehouse Lane and Sheppard Close were also consulted. Of those who responded 26 said they were in support, 23 were against and 16 conditionally supported the plan.

The report said: "It is clear that from the results 65 per cent of those who responded agree with the principle that the road should be closed at one end although 25 per cent were not convinced that closing the road by the cemetery was the best option."

In conditionally supporting the principle some residents asked that the closure be made at the junction with Colston Road and Rotherstone, that a residents parking scheme be introduced, that emergency vehicle access is maintained and that is should only be closed in rush hours.

The report said: "Those residents who are most significantly impacted by the effect of rat running support the principle where for those who will affected by any inconvenience were not supportive."

Previously planters were put along Rotherstone to try to slow traffic but these were removed after complaints.