A major road safety scheme at Whitnell Corner near Wells will now begin in mid-June, Somerset Council has confirmed.

The £4 million project will replace the existing junction near West Horrington, where the Bath Road B3139 meets the B3135, with a new roundabout aimed at cutting deaths and serious injuries.

The work had been due to start on Monday, 27 April 2026. But following final changes to the design, the start date has been pushed back.

Somerset Council said its contractor, Octavius, has revised the programme after changes to the size and shape of the soakaway and infiltration pond, a key part of the scheme.

The junction has long been seen as a collision hotspot.

Council figures show there have been 67 collisions there over the last 20 years, including 15 serious incidents and one fatal crash in 2019. Between 2019 and 2024 alone, there were 22 collisions, including three serious incidents and one fatality.

The junction is currently subject to the national speed limit in all directions.

Because of the scale of the work, the road cannot stay open during construction. A full 24/7 closure will be in place at the junction, with diversions operating throughout the scheme.

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Despite the later start, the overall programme has been shortened, with completion still expected in the autumn.

The council said the money for the project comes from Government capital grant funding allocated for road safety schemes.

The new roundabout is intended to make one of the Wells area's most notorious junctions safer for drivers and reduce the number of people killed or seriously hurt there.

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