Dartmouth residents have handed in a petition with more than 800 signatures urging Devon County Council (DCC) to repair a collapsed wall and re-open a key road into town.

The group led by Lindsay Ellwood and accompanied by councillor Jonathan Hawkins, handed in the petition to DCC leader, James McInnes.

Cllr Hawkins said he had received assurances from DCC’s legal department “that money will be provided to get the wall repaired and the road reopened”, adding that work “would start in the Spring”.

The wall and a section of Warfleet Road collapsed more than a year ago in February 2024.

The closure has caused traffic to be diverted, sparking anger among residents, who have also warned that rain could cause another section of road to collapse.

Despite the disruption, DCC had until now appeared unwilling to repair the road, arguing that the wall was the responsibility of a private landowner.

Residents and Cllr Hawkins have countered by insisting that costs can be recouped at a later date after the wall has been fixed.

Despite the apparent joy at the latest news, some residents have expressed scepticism that DCC will will follow through. Carl Farrell pointed out that DCC has not yet issued a public statement stating that it will go ahead with the repairs.

He said: “Why did Cllr Hughes not acknowledge this information prior to his default answer to our questions? I feel that Dartmouth Chronicle should not be informed until we have written evidence from DCC legal.”

Last week, this paper revealed that a resident had repeatedly warned DCC that the road was unstable at least two months before it collapsed. Following an inspection of the site, a DCC officer concluded that the retaining wall “was not giving way”, although he acknowledged that the road was sinking.