A419 campaigners want 'noisy' road surface to be replaced

The A419 Noise Action Group is calling for the concrete to be replaced with a quieter surface

Residents living near a busy road which runs between the counties of Wiltshire and Gloucestershire have begun a campaign against surface noise.

They are calling for a concrete section of the A417/A419 to be resurfaced.

The campaigners said noise from the dual carriageway had been a problem since it was built in 1998 and efforts to improve it had so far failed.

A Highways Agency spokeswoman said it acknowledged noise from major roads was a concern.

'Massively disruptive'

The A417/A419 bypass runs from the village of Latton near Cricklade, Wiltshire, to Cirencester in the Cotswolds.

"This is about righting a wrong," said Liberal Democrat councillor Paul Hodgkinson, chairman of the A419 Noise Action Group.

"Since the completion of the dual carriageway, people living along this section of the road have suffered excessive noise pollution.

"This massively disruptive problem to everyday life is caused not just by the sheer weight of traffic but by the surface used - concrete."

Mr Hodgkinson added the financial decision to use concrete, rather than more environmentally-friendly asphalt, "has brought misery to thousands".

The group wants the Highways Agency, which is responsible for the section, to replace the concrete with a "quieter and more suitable" material.

An agency spokeswoman said Defra published noise maps for England's roads in 2008.

"We have been working with them to develop action plans for the worst affected areas, which include sections of the A419 and A417.

"Any noise mitigation proposals will depend upon available funding, and other priorities in the area," she added.