Devon road washed away after stormy weather

A coastal road in the south-west of England has been washed away after damage by the recent storms.

Parts of the A379 road, which goes between Torcross and Slapton, in Devon, and a small car park, have crumbled away after sea defences protecting the road were damaged in storms last month.

"A section of the road has washed away from constant battering due to the wind and weather." said Dan Thomas, a cabinet member for highways at Devon County Council.

The local government said that the damage is a "big shock", and it would work with the county council to figure out the next steps.

During World War Two, the area was used by the US army to practise for the D-Day landings.

The road has a freshwater lake on one side, and the sea on the other, and connects the village of Torcross to the town of Dartmouth.

The people who live in Torcross have not been completely cut off by the road collapse, but it does now mean that some people there are likely to face longer journeys to get to schools, shops and workplaces.

Rob Richards, deputy director for infrastructure at the county council, said the area had lost a lot of sand over the last few months and year, which made it less stable.

He said that bad weather had led to more coastal erosion, with each wave from the tide "nibbling away" at the car park and road.

Erosion is when the sea wears away the land, which can make it crumble away. It can have a big impact on local areas, affecting things like roads, and buildings near them.

Rob Richards said that engineers were doing what they could to help, including putting large granite stones up to try to protect the area.

However, Julian Brazil, leader of Devon County Council, said that fixing the road was "way out of our price range."

"We are dependent on government. Quite rightly, government may say, 'no, because we think it could be putting money against something we may lose again'."

He added: "We do need to start thinking, has nature had its way here?"