People from both villages stopped traffic momentarily on Saturday as cyclists and pedestrians circled a new roundabout on the A418 and A505.

They were joined by South West Bedfordshire MP Andrew Selous in their mission to ask Bucks County Council to provide a safe crossing for pedestrians at what is locally known as Wing Hill roundabout.

The roundabout will be a major junction once the first section of the A418 bypass round Leighton Buzzard is complete and residents on either side believe it will divide their communities unless crossing the route is made safer for pedestrians, cyclists and horseriders.

They would like to see a bridge built over the route so that people will be encouraged to walk to and from Wing and Linslade.

Seán Kelly, Wing resident and protest organiser, said: "The huge turnout at the weekend gives us a fantastic mandate to take our demands for a bridge to the highest levels at BCC.

"I'm asking all Wing residents to write expressing their strong support for this campaign to our county councillor, Quintin Ings-Chambers."

Victoria Harvey, from South Bedfordshire Friends of the Earth, said: "The need for a bridge is not just about stopping existing cyclists and pedestrians, it is about the future of local travel.

The government, through BCC, is happy to spend more than £43million of government money on a huge road scheme which will create severe severance of local communities, but will spend no money to encourage people to walk and cycle the two miles from the village of Wing into the urban area."

Mr Selous spoke at the event about the need for the bridge to prevent the divisions it would cause and he emphasised the need to use alternative methods of transport to address climate change.

Buckingham MP John Bercow said: "It is essential to ensure that future generations are able to cycle and walk between the two settlements as they have done for hundreds of years."