WORK on the two major roads connecting Ilminster to the rest of Somerset could start in just four years.

The news on improvements to the A303 and A358 came at a public consultation in Horton Cross on Thursday last week.

The event, held at Monks Yard near Ilminster, was one of three consultation events being held, with the other two being hosted in Taunton and Podimore.

Planned improvements to the A303 and the A358 are designed to make it easier, faster, safer and less stressful for drivers heading between Taunton, Ilminster and Ilchester, with further plans near Stonehenge.

Speaking after the event on Thursday, Bas Abdullah, communications and engagement manager for Highways England, said: "The event has gone really well. The purpose of it was to come and engage with people so they understand the process.

"Today was about making sure people know we are developing under the planning act. We will be consulting people on their preferred route, and then on their preferred design.

"The overriding target for us is to secure development first, and then start work by 2020."

Project manager Dave Stock, of Highways England, which is overseeing the project, said the events were the "start of the communications".

He said: "A high-speed dual carriageway all the way from the M3 to the M5 will help support the economy and give strong road links between the South East and the South West.

"It will also help improve safety and cut congestion."

Among the members of the public in attendance were Jim and Hilary Olney.

Jim said: "All it was was trying to get people interested, to whet their appetite for something that will come along later in the summer.

"The whole A303 should be done from Stonehenge through to Honiton."

"The event was slightly disappointing. The A358 is gridlocked a lot of the time. We need it approved, but it needs to be joined up thinking with the route across the Blackdowns as well," Hilary added.

Highways England will be seeking the views of the public, starting with a consultation on the A303 Sparkford to Ilchester and the A358, which carries 27,000 vehicles a day, late in 2016.

The Government announced in December that the A303/A358 improvements would go ahead as part of a £1.5billion investment in 80 road schemes nationwide.