‘Absolute mess’ as south Devon coastal road destroyed

Sections have entirely disappeared

Residents have expressed shock at the scale of destruction on the iconic Slapton Line road as stretches of tarmac have entirely disappeared.

Repairs were already underway after storm damage last week, but now further wild weather conditions have dealt a hammer blow to the road.

Nearby homes have also taken another battering from the waves and sustained more damage, while some believe the concrete walk-way between those properties and the existing sea defences could also be undermined – albeit that hasn’t been confirmed officially.

The vital road, which links Torcross and other nearby villages to the likes of Strete, Stoke Fleming and Dartmouth, has seen one section entirely washed away, with no tarmac left across the width of the road.

That has left the car park that acts as the home to the General Sherman tank open to damage from the waves.

Kim Willis, a resident who lives close to Torcross near Stokenham, said she was surprised at the lack of official presence at the road.

“There were a few highways people there, and some of the Landmarc vehicles, but beyond that, it was residents who are devastated as it’s worse than before,” she said.

“At the section nearest the pub and houses, it is just the car park now and the waves are eating into it, so it’s going to take a lot of funding to fix the road.

“I do feel as though if it was London, or almost anywhere else in the country, though, that there would be a massive response, almost to the point where the army would be down there, but we’re left to get on with it.

“It’s a sorry state of affairs.”

Her husband, Ed Willis, said the repair effort that had already been underway had been constrained by the weather.

“The workers said they have been restricted in terms of what they can do as they don’t have enough opportunity at low tide to move all the new rock armour into place, so I don’t think they have had a chance to shore up the bit that was initially broken,” he said.

“And they are expecting the weather to get worse tonight because of a higher tide.”

Mr Willis, who is a qualified surveyor, said he believed the concrete walkway between the properties at Torcross and the beach had also been compromised.

“It sits behind the existing sea defences but I think it has dropped by about 20mm-40mm, and when a big wave hits it, it feels like the concrete walkway shudders,” he said.

“I think all that has been undermined, and some of the houses look in a state whereby they can’t be saved.”

Councillor Laurel Lawford (Liberal Democrat, Allington and Strete) said the damage was “really, really bad”.

“It has gone all the way back to the car park, through the grass verge,” she said.

“I’ve spoken to someone who has sent their drone over and they estimate there is approximately 300 metres of damage to the line.

“It’s very bad, and the drop down to the beach from the destroyed road is about 15 feet deep, I would guess. It’s an absolute mess – the car park is damaged and there is more damage to the properties along the front too.”

The blow for the community comes just a week after damage initially caused the road to shut.

Devon County Council began efforts to clear the Line from debris, and to place boulders near the damaged section to help support it while longer term repairs could be enacted.

But the efforts seem to have been overtaken by events, with the road now impassable.

In 2001, a significant section of the road was washed away, leaving the Line closed for around 12 months while the stretch was reconstructed further inland.