Dartmouth residents who have been at their wits’ end for almost a year after the collapse of a wall forced the closure of a key access road have launched a petition to pressure Devon County Council (DCC) into fixing the problem.

An eight-metre high section of wall on Warfleet Road collapsed in February 2024, taking down part of the road with it and causing a major headache to both residents and visitors due to traffic being diverted.

In addition, there are safety concerns that more rain could cause a further section to fall away.

But despite the urgency of the matter, the authorities appear unwilling to address the issue due to a legal wrangle involving Devon County Council, which insists that the wall is the responsibility of a private landowner.

Now a plucky group of residents led by Lindsay Ellwood and Marina Pusey have stepped up a gear and launched a petition to pressure DCC into taking action.

Ms Ellwood said: “There are all sorts of complex issues, but our campaign is aimed at putting pressure on Devon Highways to get the road opened, because it's now been almost a year. It's one of two main thoroughfares going into Dartmouth, so it impacts on residents and businesses.”

She also cited a case involving a vehicle from the emergency services, which was forced to take a longer route to attend a call at a nearby resident's home, stressing that Warfleet is one of two key roads into the centre of Dartmouth.

“It definitely impacts on you as you've got to drive all the way around,” she added.

The two are scheduled to hold a meeting with DCC officials at county hall next month, and they are confident the issue is gaining traction as a recently formed WhatsAp group has so far attracted some 50 followers.

Ms Pusey said: “Hopefully we'll be arriving there with lots of signatures on the petition, and they will see that Dartmouth is very, very angry about the lack of any kind of work or information, which is appalling - all we've got is rumours.”

Dartmouth councillor Jonathan Hawkins, who has been acting on behalf of the affected residents, suggested a way out of the impasse, citing a similar case in Cornwall recently, where a wall was rebuilt and the council charged the landowner the legal costs in addition to the construction work.

“At the present moment, the path is sorted, you can walk past it, but this is going to get worse. And they need to stop talking and get on with it,” he warned.

DCC was asked to comment. A spokesperson told this paper: “For the safety of the public the road has remained closed since a privately owned wall, below the level of the road, collapsed in February 2024.

“The council doesn't own the wall. It is the responsibility of the landowner and their insurance company. Repairs to the road can’t start until the private wall below is fixed.”