More than 1,500 people have signed a petition calling for more funding to protect a famous stretch of coastal road that is under threat from rising seas in the South Hams.

The A379 Slapton Line is a shingle road stretching some 1.8 miles (2.8km) between Torcross and Slapton Junction. The fragile road also separates Slapton Ley, the south west’s largest freshwater lake, from the open sea.

According to the petition, the road “is under imminent threat of being breached by the sea” due to heavy storms caused by climate change.

Ralph Clark, who launched the petition, said the Slapton Line is a “lifeline” to more than 4,000 residents who use it on a regular basis.

“Each time the road gets closed due to storm damage, the result is chaos as the alternative inland routes prove to be unsuitable for road users especially farm vehicles, buses and heavy goods vehicles.

“The majority are single carriageway with limited passing bays. A particular case that comes to mind and probably yours, was the breach in 2018,” he said in reference to the March 2018 incident, when a stretch of road more than 400 metres long was completely washed away following Storm Emma.

The road was subsequently repaired with £2.5m of government cash, but the line is at constant risk of flooding and the threat of permanent damage.

In February 2021, the road was closed over a weekend when it was covered in debris following another storm.

A meeting held last September by the Slapton Line Partnership, which was created in 2001 to address these concerns, highlighted the challenges faced by the local authorities, both in terms of cost and planning.

Opinion is also divided over the best way to tackle the problem. While most residents are keen to deploy long-term sea defences such as gabions – constructions made of steel wire cages filled with rocks - conservationists prefer a policy of so-called ‘managed retreat’ and minimal intervention.

However, experts say any long term coastal protection will need large scale funding running into millions of pounds and for an easing of planning restrictions.

But South Hams District Council leader Julian Brazil recently expressed concerns that the government would be unwilling to spend more cash on repairs if there was another breach.

“It would be hard to make the case that it is a value-for-money project, and there is no way that South Hams or Devon County Councils have the funds to pay for the repairs again,” he said.

Nonetheless, there is evidence the issue has struck a chord with the local community. Mr Clark started the petition on November 29 and it has proved so successful that it reached its initial target of 1,500 names in only 11 days, on December 10.

The aim now is to attract 2,500 signatures.