A TEIGNGRACE resident has warned there will be ‘absolute chaos’ in the village if Devon County Council presses ahead with plans to close Teigngrace Road as part of the A382 improvement scheme.

Diane Penfold, who has organised a petition opposing the closure, says almost 70 people have already signed in a bid to persuade the council to rethink its plans before the road is shut on August 10.

While she accepts the need to stop Teigngrace becoming a rat-run, she believes the proposed location of the closure will create significant problems for residents and motorists.

‘They are going to do it because they are worried the village will become a rat-run, which obviously it will’, she said.

‘But the problem is where they are going to put the road block. If a lorry comes up there, they won't be able to turn around and will have to reverse at least half a mile.

‘They are going to put concrete barriers right across where the little hump-back bridge is at the top end of the village.

‘That means everyone who lives beyond the closure will have to drive all to Chudleigh Knighton, Clay Pits and Kingsteignton just to get to Newton Abbot. It's nearly a 10-mile journey.

‘If it was only for a couple of weeks, people could probably put up with it. But this is for months.

‘If this roadblock goes ahead on August 10 like they are promising, there is going to be absolute chaos in the village’.

The closure forms part of the next stage of the multi-million-pound A382 improvement project between Newton Abbot and Drumbridges.

With the new Whitehills roundabout due to open ahead of schedule, traffic will once again be able to travel between Kingsteignton and Newton Abbot via Exeter Road.

Construction will then move to Forches Cross, where a new roundabout, junction improvements and the next section of a shared-use path are being built.

To allow those works to take place, the road between Forches Cross and Stover School will be closed.

A second closure at Teigngrace is also planned to stop drivers using the village as an alternative route between Newton Abbot and the A38.

Responding to Mrs Penfold's petition, Devon County Council said it understood the disruption the closure would cause, but insisted it was the best available option.

The authority said traffic levels normally using the A382 are so high that even a proportion of drivers diverting through Teigngrace would result in unacceptable traffic levels in the village.

It said officers had worked with Teigngrace Parish Council throughout the year to examine several possible closure points, before deciding on a location north of most of the village's homes, describing it as the option that would cause the least disruption while keeping through traffic on the official diversion routes.

The council also rejected suggestions that only residents should be allowed through the closure, saying such arrangements are difficult to enforce.

Emergency access arrangements are being developed in case flooding cuts off the village, while pedestrians and cyclists will still be able to pass through the closure.

An additional defibrillator will also be installed so one is available on either side of the barrier.

Devon County Council says it will continue to monitor the impact of the closure and work with the parish council to make changes if necessary.