RESIDENTS and councillors in Sutton Benger are calling on Wiltshire Council to repair the main road through the village before an accident happens, after waiting four years for the work to be carried out.

The High Street, or B4069, has been falling into disrepair over the last few years, say locals, with large potholes appearing at the side of the road and a large rut appearing in the centre.

Sutton Benger Parish Council claims work to repair the road has already been delayed for the past four years and that it is becoming dangerous, especially for cyclists.

A statement from the parish council said: “The parish council has received numerous complaints from local groups and residents who are concerned about the state of the road and the safety of road users, especially cyclists who have to swerve out into the middle of the road to avoid potholes. We have been encouraging them to report the issues to Wiltshire Council.”

The parish council have submitted photos and video showing the condition of the road and numerous residents have contacted Wiltshire Council about the problem.

Village resident Tony Gardener, 77, said: “It has got worse, people on bicycles are worried that they are going to end up getting stuck in the rut. I think it’s appalling.”

Another resident, 58-year-old Iain Craig, said: “It annoys me when you go to the country lanes and they have all been resurfaced and yet our road has got potholes.”

Wiltshire Council says the road is not has not been identified as being in the top two per cent in the county considered to be in poor condition and a decision to resurface it has been deferred until the next financial year.

Philip Whitehead, the cabinet member for highways, said: “We are spending more on road maintenance and improvements than ever before, which currently equates to an investment of more than £20m a year.

“Our rolling programme of work, which has already reduced the backlog of road maintenance by 30 per cent, is ongoing.

“We constantly monitor our roads so we can programme appropriate work to help improve their condition, and the road through Sutton Benger is on this programme of inspection.

“Where there are local road issues we’d encourage people to report them using the MyWilts app and we will address these as quickly as possible.”