RUSH hour congestion along Wootton Bassett Road and Kingshill Road is causing a nightmare for commuters.

Essential maintenance work being carried out by Thames Water on Wootton Bassett Road, along with road closures around Wichelstowe, are slowing journeys to a crawl with queues of traffic stretching from Old Town to Mannington roundabout. 

One motorist, who did not wish to be named, said: "It is absolutely terrible considering the Bruce Street Bridges are out as well with roadworks. This road was bad before all this started, and now it is just horrendous."

Tristan Foot, 34, had been caught up in the traffic for the first time since it started this week.

"I'm starting to wish I had gone another way," he said. "This is the first time I have got stuck in it, but my wife was stuck coming back from Wroughton for about 40 minutes yesterday."

Others were less aggravated.

"Gavin Colthrop, 40, said: "It is what it is really. They are trying to improve things, so we have got to put up with it for a while. I can understand what they are trying to do."