Anger as town hit by 'Pandora's Box' of problems

Residents of a Devon town have said they are "appalled" after hearing how roadworks opened a "Pandora's Box" of problems and could go on for months.

The county council confirmed a new 45m (147.63ft) culvert - a covered channel to allow water to flow underneath roads - would need to be installed in Fore Street, Kingsbridge, but it could be 20 weeks before completion.

South Hams Chamber of Commerce chair Samantha Dennis, also a South Hams District councillor, said the chamber and town council had been left to "pick up the pieces".

Dan Thomas, South Brent and Yealmpton councillor, said: "What was initially thought to be a collapsed section of culvert has opened a Pandora's box of issues".

Previously, flooding in the street caused the culvert's collapse, opening a void measuring 2m (6.6ft) deep and 4m (13.1ft) by 3m (9.8ft) across.

The road has been closed since the culvert collapse was discovered in January, with a large hole found below, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

The council said its latest site investigations highlighted complex issues that needed to be resolved, but it could not say exactly how long the scheme would take to complete due to the amount of existing services under the road.

An area around the collapse would need to be isolated from the incoming tides and two underground watercourses with a series of pumps, it added.

Now, a deep excavation of up to 2.5m (8.2 ft) below road level would be needed for the new culvert, and some of it would need to be excavated by hand due to the volume and position of services.

Dennis said: "Everyone accepts this is a complex job, but it was always going to be.

"The news that this might not be completed until the summer holidays is unacceptable."

Thomas, councillor for South Brent and Yealmpton, said: "The existing culvert is in such poor condition that it needs to be completely replaced, otherwise it could lead to more voids under the road, which would see utility services and the road collapsing into the culvert.

"What was initially thought to be a collapsed section of culvert has opened a Pandora's box of issues beneath Fore Street.

"We're sorry for the ongoing disruption, but, with so many services to contend with and to work around, this project is anything but straightforward," he said.

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