Complications delay repairs to hole on busy road

Repairs to a hole on a town centre road have been held up by issues around permissions and the complexity of the work.

Devon County Council said part of Fore Street in Kingsbridge, Devon, was closed after flooding caused a historic culvert's collapse, opening a void measuring 2m (6.6ft) in depth and 4m (13.1ft) by 3m (9.8ft) across.

But it said the location and nature of the repairs meant approval would be required from the Environment Agency (EA), Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Natural England.

The council added that, due to further complications caused by water mains, sewers, BT cables and gas mains, it could not put a timeframe on how long the work would take to complete.

A letter from the council to residents and businesses on the street said because water running through the culvert meant it was classified as a main river and work needed approval from EA, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The authority said, as the culvert was tidal, permission would also be needed from MMO to carry out the repairs.

It added because the nearby quay wall formed the boundary of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the work would also need permission from Natural England.

Council bosses said they had hired contractors to attend the site to trace all services and mark their positions on the road.

"We are likely to need a combination of traffic lights and road closures to complete different sections of the work," the letter added.

"Our plan is to start upstream near the void to enable us to open Fore Street as quickly as possible.

"Signage is checked regularly and we will be placing extra signs noting 'businesses open as usual' in the affected streets."

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