Sex offender councillor's name removed from plaque

Former Devon County Council boss Brian Greenslade's name has been removed from a plaque

The name of a former council leader jailed for sexually assaulting three women has been removed from a plaque marking the opening of a bridge he helped campaign for.

Ex-Devon County Council boss Brian Greenslade was jailed for 16 months after being convicted in May.

His name has been scratched off the sign marking the opening of the Western Bypass and Taw Bridge in Barnstaple.

Devon County Council said the work was an "interim measure".

A spokesman for the authority said it was exploring longer term options to commemorate the opening of the bridge.

He added: "Following Brian Greenslade's conviction, we are sensitive to the potential offence likely to be caused to survivors and others affected by his historic actions."

Brian Greenslade was leader of Devon County Council and a member of the Devon and Cornwall Police Authority

The 72-year-old Liberal Democrat, from Marwood, near Barnstaple was also a member of the Devon and Cornwall Police Authority.

He denied the assaults, which took place in the 1990s and 2000s, dismissing one allegation as "absolute nonsense" but was found guilty by a jury at Exeter Crown Court.

The Barnstaple Western Bypass and £42m Taw Bridge opened on 23 May 2007.

The project took two years to build and Greenslade said at the time the opening was a wonderful day for him after two years of hoping it would become a reality.