MOTORISTS on both sides of the Tamar will face a 20-mile detour next month when the whole length of New Bridge at Gunnislake is closed for re-surfacing work.

Many are furious that Devon County Council, which maintains the historic bridge, did not consult them about the closure.

The bridge, an ancient monument which carries 8,000 vehicles a day, is due a complete resurfacing and the county council announced it would be closed to traffic from 9am until 4pm on two of the three days between March 7 and 9.

Gunnislake domestic repairs engineer Charlie Morgan said his business would be 'affected dreadfully'.

'I cross the bridge on average five times a day as I rely on the Tavistock area for most of my work,' he said. 'I shall have to go via Horsebridge and the cost in time and petrol will be expensive. Why on earth couldn't the county council do it at night or even the weekend when the traffic is lighter at this time of the year?'

Mr Morgan said he was concerned that many diverted lorries would cause problems in the narrow lanes between East Cornwall and West Devon.

'Juggernauts use Gunnislake now the bridge, which used to restrict large vehicles, at Drakewalls has been removed,' he said.

Gunnislake councillor Godfrey Smale said: 'It will cause a great deal of difficulty for people living here.'

He said they would much prefer the work was carried out at night.

'They didn't consult us over the disruption. They've got a responsibility and the bridge has to be looked after, but there is an argument for doing it by night. If you absolutely had to make that journey you'd have a fair detour,' said Mr Smale.

A spokesman from Devon's engineering department said they appreciated there would be some disruption but had aimed to minimise that by operating between 9am and 4pm, at the longest, on just two days — the first to strip the old surface and the second to lay the new one.

He said they had spoken to Cornwall County Council which had reiterated the concerns of Mr Smale.

'As we seem to be getting so much concern, we will perhaps have to review the way we are doing it,' he said.

The extra cost for a night-time operation was estimated at between £6,000 and £7,000 a night.

'We are strapped for cash, so that's quite a lot of cash to come out of our budget,' he said.

Highway maintenance engineer Nick Pogodin said access to properties will be maintained as much as possible from one end or the other.

Alternative routes recommended by the highways department are: Devon bound — (A390 to Callington): from Callington via A388 to south of Launceston; B3362 to Collacombe Down; turn right at crossroads at garage to reconnect with A390 at Gulworthy. Cornwall bound — vice versa.