AN area in Pewsey that is prone to flooding and has partly frozen over this week is ‘an accident waiting to happen’, according to concerned residents and the parish council.

Despite repeated requests from the parish council and people living in St John’s Close to fix the issue, they say Wiltshire Council and Wessex Water have done nothing to tackle the problem, that has now worsened as part of it is freezing over.

The close, which leads off the roundabout connecting Milton Road and Hollybush Lane, has had a serious problem since May with standing water that forms a puddle about 20ft long and 5ft wide that refuses to drain away.

Alison Kent, clerk to Pewsey Parish Council, said: “We have been reporting this issue since May and it is very frustrating that it has still not been resolved. We have repeatedly told the council that there is a high risk of serious accident and injury when the water freezes.

“With winter weather making conditions treacherous, the parish council is concerned that it is an accident waiting to happen. The council trusts that Wiltshire Highways will be taking all possible precautions to warn drivers and ensure road safety.”

Amanda Humphreys, of nearby Broomcroft Road, said: “It is just mad that it has not been sorted earlier. It has been about six months now, it is just a joke – it is turning into an ice rink and will only get worse over the winter.”

“It will be absolute chaos if this keeps up. I do not know why it has taken this long but something has to be done now.”

For many months it was unclear if this was Wessex Water or Wiltshire Council’s responsibility. However, after Wessex Water checked the area again on Wednesday, it was confirmed that it was something Wiltshire Council had to deal with.

A Wessex Water spokesman said: “A crew visited the area this morning to check if there were any leaks on our pipe network which may have caused this. We can confirm that there are no leaks or other problems on any of our assets – however, the cause is yet to be determined. We are working closely with Wiltshire Highways department to get this issue resolved.”

A Wiltshire Council spokesman said: “We are working with Wessex Water which we understand is still investigating this issue. In the meantime, we will ensure the area is salted to help prevent freezing.”