SEVERAL months ago a notice was placed at the side of the A30 near the Pheasant Hotel, it read “Road works start March 11 lasting ten weeks. Expect delays”.

At times, the queues of traffic were of considerable length.

However, I calculated that the ten-week period would expire on May 20, at least a week before the late Spring Bank Holiday.

In fact the work continued well past May 20, it was still in progress on May 27 and June 3.

By that time, 12 weeks had elapsed.

On June 8 the work was deemed to be complete and traffic was allowed to flow through the junction, which now incorporates permanent traffic lights.

What this episode illustrates clearly is the attitude of Wiltshire Council’s Highways Department.

In response to my inquiries on the telephone I was told that the council had to be satisfied that the work had been properly executed before the road could be safely re-opened.

The Highways Department would tell you that the contractors began the work late.

But the council ought to have made payment for the work to be conditional on completion by May 20 so that late delivery of the contract would be penalised.Was this done?

The head of the Highways Department should have made it his business to ensure that the work did not overrun the ten-week period scheduled.

What were he and his subordinates doing about this?

Were they monitoring progress to ensure prompt completion?

The councillors on the southern Wiltshire Area Board for Highways are Chris Devine, Ian McLennan, Julian Johnson, Leo Randall and Richard Britton. Were they pressing the council to ensure the work would be completed on time?

The trouble is that there is no incentive for any of them to see the roadworks are completed within the scheduled timetable.

I have a gut feeling that what happened in this case is commonplace.

In short, it is disgraceful and a waste of council taxpayers’ money. All the people named are remunerated by council taxpayers. What were they doing to justify their money?

Every one of them should admit their role and their failure to keep the contractors up to the mark.

JOHN ROSSELLI, Winterslow, Salisbury

Did Wiltshire County Council and the Highways Agency set out to make the Pitton road junction onto the A30 at The Pheasant Inn more dangerous by installing traffic lights?

Three times since the new lights became active I have started to move forward on a green traffic light from the Pitton road only to come very close to meeting a car coming from the Salisbury direction.

These cars have driven through the red light (yes, we can see them from the Pitton road) at high speed oblivious to, or not concerned about, the traffic pulling out from Pitton.

Whereas before I waited patiently for a gap in the fast moving traffic before turning on to the A30, now I pull out, supposedly safely, on a green traffic light and play chicken with oncoming Salisbury cars that feel they do not need to obey the lights. Is this really safer?

NICKI MCCARNEY, Pitton