THE main road linking Shaldon village with The Ness was repaired in time for Easter after suffering a battering by Storm Emma.

A delighted county councillor for the area, Alistair Dewhirst, declared: ‘The county highways engineers pulled out all the stops to get Marine Parade reopened in time for the start of the busy holiday period.

‘The county council scheduled work on the handrails and safety fencing after a local resident complained of defects, but Storm Emma stripped the Tarmac from the road, turned the fencing into spaghetti and almost took out the old sandstone sea wall.

‘As a consequence, this vital link road had to be closed to all traffic. Fortunately, the local highways team were able to utilise the road closure order to get the road resurfaced, the wall repaired and repointed, and new railings installed at the same time, for which we are all hugely grateful.’

Cllr Dewhirst added that businesses in Shaldon were naturally worried that had the road remained closed over the vital Easter holiday period the disruption to residents and visitors alike would have been enormous.

‘Not only does Marine Parade take traffic through the village towards Torquay, but it also enables pedestrian access to the village from The Ness car park, and from the village to the businesses and attractions at The Ness.

‘It was great to see holidaymakers and local families braving the awful weather to enjoy everything Shaldon has to offer.