PARTS of the town centre will be closed to traffic while marchers campaigning to keep Swindon's Honda factory open make their way from the County Ground to GWR Park from 11am to 12.30pm on Saturday.

Swindon Borough Council will create a pedestrian walkway across the Magic Roundabout and other roads to ensure that the crowd travels safely along Fleming Way, Princes Street, Commercial Road, Milton Road and Faringdon Road.

A rolling road block will ensure that roads can be reopened as soon as the march has safely passed through. Wiltshire Police officers will be keeping an eye on things and marshals will be on hand along the route. Bus companies and local businesses likely to be affected by the event have been told about this disruption. Advanced warning signs will be placed on the road network over the coming days.

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Cabinet member for highways Coun Maureen Penny said: "I am right behind this very public show of support as it is important we do all we can to try to convince Honda to stay in Swindon. We have been working closely with Wiltshire Police and Unite and, as we are expecting a lot of people to take part in the march and subsequent rally in Faringdon Road park, we have had no choice but to close these main routes around the town centre to ensure the safety of all those taking part.

“I would encourage drivers if they need to come into the town centre for those two hours next Saturday to plan their journeys accordingly and to allow for the inevitable congestion that will be caused on other parts of the road network."

Wiltshire Police’s assistant chief constable Gavin Williams said: “We absolutely support the right for people to protest but this must be done peacefully. We will not tolerate any disorderly or violent behaviour and if anyone breaks the law they will be arrested.

“Whilst there is no intelligence to suggest that this event will be anything other than peaceful, it is crucial our planning for an event of this scale takes into account the likelihood that several thousand people might attend.

“Our resourcing of this event will therefore be robust. We are working closely with partners, including Swindon Borough Council, to make sure appropriate resources are being put into this event.

“For operational reasons it is not appropriate to discuss exact numbers of officers involved but sufficient resources will be in place.”