Over a year-and-a-half after a crash that killed two friends on the A350 in Chippenham, Wiltshire councillors have decided that the the Pretty Chimneys gap in the central reservation is to be closed off for good.

It will not be the only change on the busy road – the council will also be working to prohibit U-turns in both directions at The Moors, Courtfield Farm, Lower Swinley and the agricultural crossings; and place signs at the Days Lane junction and for the Junction 17, alerting motorists to the roundabouts at each end of the road.

Gareth Jones, who was 26, died with his friend Philip Wicks, 30, when the van they were in collided with a Hills Waste lorry which was performing a U-turn in one of the gaps on the 70mph dual carriageway.

Though the move he performed was not illegal, Hills driver Brian Coleman was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving in June for failing to sufficiently check the road was clear before pulling out, and was later jailed for three years.

But Wiltshire councillor for the area Howard Greenman said some residents fear that the wrong decision has been made.

“I can understand where the decision came from, and the overwhelming view was that the gaps should be closed off,” he said.

“We have ultimately had to reach a compromise. Most of the accidents along that road have happened at the Pretty Chimneys gap, including many of the fatalities.”

Many residents must cross the dangerously fast road to get to the bus stop, using the gaps to get through, and some have fears that the closure of the Pretty Chimneys gap could slow emergency services.

Sue Newton lives at Hillside Farm on the southbound carriageway and her 11-year-old daughter Imogen has to cross all four lanes of traffic on the 70mph road when the school bus drops her off in the afternoon.

“We would really have appreciated someone to come out and see us and try to understand it from our point of view before making this decision,” she said.

“If an ambulance comes to us now, it will have to add two extra miles to the journey to get to us. In rush hour, that could be longer.

“If a car hits my daughter coming across the road, heaven forbid, it will slow the ambulance down. It can make the difference between life and death.”

She said she was frustrated that other options, including changing the speed limit to 50mph as it is in Langley Burrell and Sutton Benger, had not been explored first.

“Some jobsworth has sat in his office and made a decision without even bothering to come out and talk to us,” she said.

But for Coun Bill Douglas, who has been campaigning to have the gaps closed ever since the death crash, the decision marks a new chapter in road safety on the A350.

“I am over the moon about it,” he said.

“The decision was made this week and work to close off the gaps is already beginning. It has been a long road to get to this point, so we are delighted.”