Devizes Road in Old Town closed without warning; council apologises

Drivers and shopkeepers in Old Town, Swindon, found part of Devizes Road closed on the morning of Wednesday 19 August 2026. Businesses told Swindon24 they had not been warned, and its reporter saw no diversion signs on the road.

The council had announced that neighbouring Croft Road would be resurfaced from 19 to 21 August as part of its summer programme, and had said affected residents and businesses were notified by letter.

What did traders say?

Charlotte, from The Flower Shop on Devizes Road, said: "It's carnage no one knows it's shut there are cars doing 3 point turns all over the place."

Jessie, from Ray's Ice Cream, said: "Wow that is going to massively affect sales for all of us! How ridiculous."

Kris Talikowski, Chair of the Old Town Business Association, said the lack of warning and diversion signs was causing significant disruption and that he was taking it up with the council.

What did the council say?

Councillor Nick Gardiner, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport, said a miscommunication between the council's team and its contractor meant a large patching repair on Devizes Road was brought forward to coincide with the Croft Road resurfacing, leaving too little time to tell residents and businesses. He said the repair was finished, the traffic management on Devizes Road had been removed, and the council apologised and would prevent a repeat.

The council was improving 22 roads over the summer and investing more than £2 million in the road network in the financial year.

Source: Swindon24.