Councillor sorry as anger grows over crumbled road

A council leader has apologised after suggesting a storm-hit road may not be repaired sparked an angry response from some residents.

Julian Brazil, the leader of Devon County Council, said the government may decide not to provide funding to repair the A379 Slapton Line near Torcross because it could wash away again.

The road appears set to stay shut for an extended period after parts of it crumbled into the sea on Monday - causing an estimated tens of millions of pounds of damage and creating huge transport disruption for residents.

The council leader apologised for the timing of his comments after suggesting at a public meeting the area could instead be turned into a tourism destination.

Brazil said: "In retrospect maybe it wasn't the right time... there are people who are suffering right here and now and we need to sort them out and that's absolutely right.

"I apologise about that, but I think in the end those are the kind of pragmatic decisions we've got to take.

"What happens if the line is not replaced? What are we going to do, what is the adaptation plan?

"If we're not going to mend the road, and that could well be the case, then we've got to try get as much positive things out of it as possible."

The scenic road, between a freshwater lake on one side and the sea on the other, forms part of a key route connecting Torcross with Dartmouth.

Residents have expressed fears of isolation due to a long diversion along back roads.

Steve Kilpatrick, from Torcross, said: "If you have a heart attack in Torcross, now I fear you are going to die because the ambulance can't get through the lanes.

"If you catch fire, you're in trouble. It's really serious."

Patrick Meaney, also from Torcross, said the county council "seem to immediately want to revert to Plan B, which is to ignore the fact that we and the area desperately needs that road to be reinstated".

In the neighbouring village of Slapton, Peter Osborne, who volunteers in the community shop, said "very narrow, very windy" roads now had to be used.

"The big lorries that would have normally come along Slapton Line aren't unable to do so," he said.

"They're having to rejig deliveries in smaller trucks and vans - they'll probably have to put their costs up which goes straight off our bottom line."

Shirley Sullock, from Slapton, said the closure was affecting children getting to school.

"The buses aren't just meeting up like they should," she said.

"The children have been hanging around in places and not getting home on time, so it is a nightmare."

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