Swindon roadworks finished ahead of new homes construction

Major roadworks have been going on in the town

Major road schemes which have caused months of disruption in a town have been completed.

More than £150m has been invested in upgrading key junctions in Swindon ahead of thousands of new homes being built.

The New Eastern Villages (NEV) development alone will contain 8,000 new homes.

Swindon Borough Council deputy leader Gary Sumner said the works were "critical" for the town's growth.

The construction work has been taking place over the past five years including on the Moonraker's Junction, White Hart Junction and NEV Southern Connector Road.

Mr Sumner said: "We've got an obligation to build a certain number of homes over the next 10 years.

"The reason for the infrastructure improvements is so that the town is futureproofed, so rather than doing the improvements once the new houses are built and the congestion is there, we're doing the work in advance.

"Ultimately nobody wants to live in a town that is blighted by congestion."

'Flowing smoothly'

Mr Sumner said there could be a total of 15,000 to 20,000 new homes being built in the borough over the next few years, to the east and south of the town.

He said he regretted the fact that some residents' lives had been disrupted, but that he hoped they would see the benefits of the works.

"I can certainly understand why some residents felt their lives were blighted during the construction, but I was really pleased to be standing down by the White Hart junction this morning and it was flowing smoothly," he said.