Plans for a by-pass for Walton and Ashcott have been thwarted for the time being, after it was confirmed that a funding bid for the major road improvement has been unsuccessful.

Somerset County Council had submitted initial proposals in early 2022 for a scheme to construct a bypass for Ashcott and Walton on the A39 Bath Road to tackle traffic problems on the narrow route through the villages.

The bypass would have run for four miles around both Walton and Ashcott, removing 95 per cent of the traffic from the main road. The scheme was estimated in March 2019 to cost in the region of £90M, with construction aiming to begin by 2023.

But today, the council were told by the Department for Transport that their funding bid for the project had not been successful.

Lead Member for Transport and Digital Councillor Mike Rigby has said the Council will continue to seek Government funding to look at alternative ways to address some of the issues affecting the village.

He said: "We're disappointed at the decision but we understand the pressures on public finances both nationally and of course locally. We'll continue urging the DfT to help us look at issues on the route and seek to understand opportunities for further investment."

 Councillor Andrea Davis, Chair of the Peninsula Transport Sub-National Transport Body which is responsible for making recommendations to Government about priorities for major transport schemes in the region, said: 'The A39 is an important route supporting economic activity in our region and we are extremely disappointed that the scheme will not progress.

 "We hope that Government will consider alternative smaller scale investments to help improve the route'.