Residents have raised concerns that planned roadworks in Station Road will cause major disruption to road users on “the most congested road in Okehampton.”

Devon County Council has released a temporary traffic restriction order informing residents that Highways will be carrying out resurfacing work along Station Road from October 23 to October 26 with road restrictions in place between 8am and 5pm each day.

In the announcement, Devon County Council wrote: “No person shall cause or permit any vehicle to proceed or wait on the sections of affected roads” which will run from the Mill Road junction to the Tors Road junction.

However, some residents have pointed out that Highways has failed to explain how it intends to manage the traffic during the time to ensure safe access for large vehicles providing essential services such as ambulances or bin lorries, alternative parking for residents who normally park on the roadside and access to and from the train station.

Michael Bennett from Okehampton, said: “Station Road has become the most congested road in Okehampton in daylight hours, even more so than Exeter Road.

“There’s an awful lot of people wanting to get up and down that road. We have got the railway station and not everyone can get up and down that road. You’ve got big double decker buses and rubbish collection lorries coming down ”

Mr Bennett said that he has questioned how parents will be able to drop their children off at school or get to work on time.

He added: “If they are not going to clear parked vehicles each side of the workings to allow traffic to pass...then no double-decker buses or single-decker buses or cars will have access to the railway station. The recycling and rubbish collection council lorries will not be able to get through on the Wednesday, and no delivery vans or lorries will be able to pass, nor the army lorries and personnel coaches, and as for the residents living at the top end in Tors Road, Leeze Park and Station Road...I wonder how the children will get to school and parents will get to work or do shopping?”

Mr Bennett added that Station Road had only got busier since the railway station reopened nearly two years ago and since then has witnessed some concerning incidents as a result of the already busy and crowded road.

A Devon County Council spokesperson said: “Resurfacing work on Station Road in Okehampton is scheduled to be carried out during the October half-term break in order to minimise disruption. The scheme, which extends from the junction with Mill Road up to the war memorial, will be carried out in three sections from Monday 23 October to Thursday 26 October. Temporary traffic lights will be used in order to maintain access through the site and to the station. Parking in this section of Station Road will not be possible while work is being undertaken between 8am and 5pm. Any vehicles left on the road will either result in delays or will prevent resurfacing. Residents and businesses will be fully informed of the work and information will be widely distributed around the area shortly both in paper form, as well as via the Devon County Council website and on social media.”