Local builders are working hard to remove a dangerous wall that has closed the main route between Dartmouth and Stoke Fleming, to save villagers and motorists months of summer holiday traffic misery.

The section of A379 opposite Bidders Close was closed as an emergency last Tuesday, May 24, when a large crack in the five-metre wall was spotted.

Cllr Julian Brazil, County Councillor for Kingsbridge including Stoke Fleming, said:

“This is the last thing we need. The road has to be opened as soon as possible. I’ll be working with Highways and keeping local residents informed of any developments.

“The plan is to make emergency repairs, so the wall is safe i.e. won’t collapse and then open the road from the beginning of July for the summer and close it again in October for full repairs. The wall is owned by a third party, so nothing has been 100 per cent confirmed at this stage.

Devon County Council said the road is expected to remain closed for some time and it’s “too soon to say” when it’ll re-open. They are advising motorists to avoid the area as the closure will lead to delays. A signed diversion is in place via A379 Torcross, Kingsbridge, A381, and the A3122 Hemborough Post, A379 and vice versa.

A spokesperson for the County Council said: “An emergency closure was introduced after safety concerns were raised over a privately owned boundary wall alongside the road. A crack in the five-metre-high masonry wall was deemed to be a risk to road users. The owners of the wall have responded swiftly and scaffolding has been erected ahead of the wall being taken down. Once the structure has been removed, scheme designs will need to be prepared and technical approvals agreed before it’s rebuilt.

“Local contractors Elliot Construction started taking the wall down on Saturday. The work is being done on behalf of the landowner, not Devon County Council, as it’s a privately owned wall.”

Stoke Fleming Parish Council thanked the team from Elliott Construction and said they’ve now taken down all the wall that needed to be removed by hand – and bagged up 100 tons of stone, which has been taken away for safe storage.

Elliott Construction Director Robert Elliott said: “When we were initially approached to undertake the works by the private client we knew the response had to be immediate, to help both our client and the wider community. The wall has now been successfully removed with the large amount of spoil being removed over the coming week. We’re hoping to have the road open in the next few weeks depending on the engineers detailing.”