Town councillor Sue Evans is jubilant that at least part of her campaign to rid the town of its worst eyesores has been victorious.

Coun Evans was up in arms about wheelie bins blocking the top of The Brittox on Thursdays, market day, the busiest day of the week, and about the unsightly plastic barriers, which had been in place for many months, put up to keep pedestrians from the area of uneven cobblestones in Maryport Street.

No sooner had her plea been published in last week’s Gazette & Herald than steps were taken to address the long-standing problems.

Coun Laura Mayes, chairman of the Devizes Area Board, took up the cudgels on Coun Mrs Evans’ behalf and had a quick win.

She said: “It is all a matter of common sense and you wonder why it wasn’t done ages ago.”

Four of the 240-litre wheelie bins belong to the Scope charity shop, which are collected on a Thursday. Previously the bins were put out at 9am but not collected until 1pm or later.

It has been agreed the Scope staff will put the bins out on Wednesday night and the Wiltshire Council refuse crews will collect and empty them on their first visit at 6am on Thursday. Staff will then bring their bins indoors at 9am.

Wiltshire Council officers have spoken to local businesses who employ commercial refuse companies so that their bins are left out for much shorter periods.

The blight of the plastic barriers in Maryport Street will also soon be solved.

Wiltshire Council highways contractors have agreed that, when they resurface an area of Estcourt Street near the Crammer at the beginning of December, they will undertake a temporary repair in Maryport Street that means the barriers can be removed.

Coun Mayes said: “They will take up the cobblestones and put down a temporary surface. The cobbles will be replaced some time next year.”

Coun Evans was delighted with her campaign success. She said: “I have been working very closely with Laura on this and she and her team have been brilliant.

“The people of Devizes will be so pleased. They felt that nobody was listening to them and helping them but now they can see the system does work.”