Parish Council
BT has completed work on the main road by Silverlake. There was minimal disruption and I believe their work was successful and the job completed.
There is considerable observable deterioration on the main road on Sticklepath Hill (west of village). Previous pothole repairs are failing and new holes are appearing. Highways are aware of this problem and it looks like it’s another problem caused by underground percolation of rainwater. Similarly, the cracks in the road on the eastbound section of the main road on Sticklepath Hill near to Higher Combeshead house are continuing to grow – percolation of rainwater from the above field has been suggested and I think Highways are planning to make contact with the owner of the field above the main road to dig some gullies and help transport water to where it needs to go.
I am impressed with the local drain sucking team who continue to keep all the main drains clear and have, so far, stopped them from producing any significant pools of water (particularly up by Higher Combeshead where we have had problems before.
The ‘Tree Management Team’ has been out and about on both sides of the village ensuring that we have a 5m gap to branch line in the Parish and to ensure that most of the hedges have been trimmed to maximise safety for vehicle drivers.
A resident has commented to me that the Yellow Rattle on the verge on the way into the village on the west side has really helped to ensure moderate to excellent visibility, and a ‘thank you’ to whoever knocked back the bracken by the footway below the old school.
There are now two significant areas of bad deterioration in the middle (white line) section of the road through the village, from Bowdens up to the Old School and by the Devonshire Inn. The gap is widening and I suspect that the road itself will start to turn to ‘gravel’ sometime next year. I have mentioned this to Highways.
The road through Oaktree Park is deteriorating. There are a number of drain covers that are nearing failure. The same applies to Willey Lane which is still awaiting repair. I have mentioned this to Highways whose focus is on main roads throughout our region.
There have been several complaints on social media made about the Highways team and some unpleasant AI altered pictures produced online. These are unfair, and the people who have created them have little to no understanding of how hard Highways work to try to keep up with the 96,000+ potholes that exist in Devon. Our Highways contact for our Parish works tirelessly to support us and we must make sure that we support them to be as effective as possible, given the resources available.
Councillor Jake Powell
April 2026.