Road closure misery in Devon as crooks target roadworks

Councillor Stephen Gibson at A388 Road Closure between St Giles on the Heath and Launceston

The Openreach closure is forcing some drivers to take hour-long detours

Closure of main A road linking the South of Devon to the North has caused major disruption to road services. The works are taking longer than expected due to the theft of copper cables.

The A388 between St Giles on the Heath and Launceston has been closed since Friday April 25 for essential broadband restoration. Openreach say they are working as quickly as possible, despite thefts.

Upon his visit to the site, Councillor Stephen Gibson says: “On speaking to the engineers, thefts are occurring in rural areas in other counties and not just Devon, fed by the high price of the copper contained in the cables”.

An Openreach spokesperson says: “We’re really disappointed that residents in the Launceston area have borne the brunt of a cable theft from our network. These attacks cause unacceptable disruption to the lives of local people and put vulnerable people at risk. The road closure on the A388 is keeping our engineers safe as they complete some complex work to restore services, but we hope to be done as soon as possible."

The village roads are also pothole ridden and have very little passing space. One road user shared their thoughts: “I’ve just done the diversion and it added an hour onto my journey.”

The A388 is a main A road that links Holsworthy to Launceston, a trip that subsequently connects many people to main locations such as Plymouth.

It is currently unknown when the road will open.