Roadworks spark 'travel havoc' in Tavistock

Work to repair gas pipes started in January and is expected to be completed by the end of March

People in Tavistock say months of roadworks in the town have been creating "travel havoc".

Parts of the main road into the town have been dug up to upgrade gas pipes and temporary traffic lights put in place.

The work started in January and is expected to be completed by the end of March.

Wales and West Utilities said it was doing essential work to upgrade 1.5km of gas pipes.

Devon County Council said it tried to prevent roadwork projects clashing.

But it says utility companies can legally access their infrastructure immediately without giving advance notice.

'Uncompromising task'

A spokesperson said work can be "pre-planned requiring an application, or reactive".

They added: "If planned activity is taking place and reactive work unfortunately occurs in the same area, it can result in local congestion with few options to alleviate it."

The local authority said it had received more than 50,000 applications for roadworks each year and co-ordinating them could be "an uncompromising task".

Princetown resident Nick Bennett said he had written to his local MP Sir Geoffrey Cox

Abby Smith, programme controller at Wales and West Utilities, apologised for the "disruption".

"Though we are doing everything we can to keep disruption to a minimum, we would advise motorists to leave extra travel time and use alternative routes if at all possible," she said.

Locals say other works, by different utility companies, were carried out in Tavistock before Christmas.

Princetown resident Nick Bennett, who travels to Tavistock for food shopping, said: "This has been going on for months in various spots around Tavistock.

"They're all spots which have created this kind of havoc in the traffic."

'Incredibly bad planning'

Mr Bennett added he has written to Sir Geoffrey Cox, MP for Torridge and West Devon, asking for a change to planning laws to prevent utility firms digging up the same roads too frequently.

He said: "This beautiful artisan town that I absolutely love is being put under immense pressure by incredibly bad planning."

Louise Jackman, a fish and chip shop owner, said she wishes traders had been consulted about the works

Businesses in the town say the roadworks have affected their trade.

Louise Jackman, a fish and chip shop owner, said she wishes traders had been consulted about the works.

"We know it goes quieter at this time of year. But some days it's not even worth opening the doors," she said.

Wine retailer Michael McGarry has shops either side of the current roadworks.

He said: "Both shops were equally down dramatically", adding that they had were "about £30,000 down on turnover".