RESIDENTS fighting to stop the controversial Amesbury link road passing near their homes at Boscombe Down have warned district councillors they will use the ballot box to help stop the road.

At the annual Amesbury town meeting last week, they passed an overwhelming vote of no-confidence in three of Amesbury's district councillors, claiming their effectiveness in fighting the road did not represent the wishes of the electorate.

About 40 residents attended the town meeting and ensured that most of the agenda was taken up by at times heated arguments over the proposed road, which is planned to link the A303 to the A345.

While the county council and the district council say the link road will be signed for local traffic only, residents on the new estates around Boscombe Down fear it will be a bypass for the town.

Amesbury town council came under repeated fire for not opposing the new road and was accused by some of the campaigners of being "breathtakingly arrogant".

But as the final decision will probably rest with the district council and the county council, it was the town's district councillors who took the brunt of the opposition.

Despite the misgivings of the meeting's chairman, mayor of Amesbury Neil Morrison, a motion from anti-road campaigner Richard Maguire was put to the vote.

The motion asked: "Is there confidence in the effectiveness of Salisbury district council's members of Amesbury town council to represent the wishes of the electorate of Amesbury in district matters such as the planning decision on the link road?"

Ten votes said there was but 29 votes felt there was not and there were five abstentions.

The town's three district councillors are Allan Peach (also a county councillor), Dennis Brown and John Noeken.

Mr Noeken told the meeting that a district councillor would be unwise to object to any planning application before it had even been submitted to the council.

Campaigners are angry that the town council did not act on resolutions agreed at a special town meeting called in January, which included opposing the planning application for the road and asking the government to call in the application.

Mr Morrison told the meeting that the town council was under no legal obligation to act on the resolutions.

He said: "The town meeting is persuasive only and the town council can disregard and leave it to residents, who have the remedy in their own hands at the next elections."

Mr Maguire emphasised that the residents living on the new estates were not happy with the planning application or the road, or safety aspects of it, and would object by any means at their disposal.

Ian Mitchell said the present plans for the link road were such that he felt sure someone would be killed or badly injured.

Mr Peach and Mr Noeken, town councillors reported to the Standards Board by one of the campaigners over allegations they acted outside the local government's code of conduct, have heard the board will not take any action on the complaint, said Mr Peach this week.