CAMPAIGNERS have lost their battle to tackle road safety on an accident blackspot.

However, Wiltshire councillor Peter Colmer said he was still determined to make the A419, the main Swindon to Cirencester road, accident-free following a number of fatalities on the stretch of road near Cricklade.

The Highways Agency initially agreed to experiment by banning U-turns on the A419 near the Cricklade junction. However it has now said the cost of blocking the gaps would be prohibitive.

Cllr Colmer told the Standard: "I am very disappointed. There has to be a catastrophic event before the Highways Agency takes further preventative action."

Cllr Colmer called for the crossing points at the Castle Eaton, Lower Widhill Farm and Kingshill Farm junctions to be closed off - an idea rejected by residents in 2007 because they complained of the inconvenience of having to drive longer distances to be able to turn around.

However the issue was thrust back into the spotlight in February when tractor driver Bruce Willis, of Eysey, died following a six-vehicle pile up. One year earlier, Cirencester worker Robert Harris was killed when he crashed into the back of a turning lorry at the same spot.

Cllr Colmer said he would decide on his next course of action once Mr Willis’s inquest has been dealt with, at a date to be set.

Mike Penning, parliamentary under secretary of state for transport said: "The closure of the gaps would represent poor value for money and the accident savings, when considered on an economic basis, were not sufficient to justify the imposition of long detour distances for motorists."

He added that the 2.61 miles from Calcutt to Blunsdon Hill had an accident rate over the last five years of 40 per cent less than the national average.

Highways Agency confirmed they were still progressing with an order to ban U-turns on the road.

Waste firm SITA, which runs refuse collections for Cotswold District Council, banned its drivers in March from using the cross-over points.

Drivers previously turned across the dual carriageway traffic to dump recycling loads at Thamesdown Recycling but were instructed to travel to Swindon for a safer turning. A spokesman said that ban would continue.