Good job Santa uses a flying sled pulled by reindeer because he would never get around the town with the current road hold-ups.

There may well be a short-term embargo for road schemes over the Christmas period but I am sure many have already been put off from journeying into the town.

How things might have been different if the Conservative administration had used its time in office to have produced shovel-ready road schemes for the town.

These would have been attractive to Government finance and could have delivered a much needed North Swindon link road.

Still we have three years of Great Western Way work to come, plus the partial permanent shutdown of Fleming Way, and all the displaced traffic from Fleming Way being diverted down Manchester Road and via Gloucester Street on to a two-way Station Road.

Instead of getting a present of 21st century roads for a Christmas future, we will be getting the present of 19th century roads from Christmases past.

Still, think of the Christmas romance of roads previously used for horse-drawn sleds being used for bulk shipments on 16.5 million trucks and trailers. Merry Christmas.

Bob Wright Councillor for Central Ward Swindon