A PROMINENT Tavistock businessman has backed a campaign calling on the Government to find a resilient solution to the region's broken rail links.

Peter Harding, managing director of Fairway Furniture, has written to four South West MPs urging them to put pressure on the Government to find a speedy but effective resolution, after storms severed rail links between London and the South West.

He says that having a broken rail network gives a 'negative impression' of the region and positive action needs to be taken, and quickly.

Mr Harding has stores in Tavistock, Plymstock, St Austell and Newton Abbot.

He has written to the MPs covering those areas — Geoffrey Cox (Torridge and West Devon), Gary Streeter (Devon South West), Stephen Gilbert (St Austell and Newquay) and Anne Marie Morris (Newton Abbot) — encouraging a united front.

Mr Harding said: 'We need a quick short term, and a resilient long-term plan. People have seen in the news that they cannot currently get beyond Bridgwater heading west by train.

'They are going to start saying "What's the point?" It doesn't help with people looking to relocate business down to the far South West.

'I do not think our politicians have done enough. They do not seem to work together for the benefit of the region. Yes, they have started to work together on this issue now but they really need to present a consistently united front and call the Government to account.

'The fact David Cameron says the government "will do whatever it takes" is not just about getting connections repaired now — it is about working out what we are going to do for the future. We simply can't keep patching up our rail links with a plaster each time this happens.

'It is not so much that the railway is broken which is the issue, but the impression that it gives — it is a negative message. Anywhere west of Exeter is seen as "in the back woods" — the fact it is out of action at the moment is clearly not good, but we also have to stop complaining about it and be positive. We also need a far more resilient alternative.'

Mr Harding said an action plan was needed to get the issue resolved now, then, in the medium-term, some form of commitment to get work started.

'It is no good saying there is going to be a review and a report at some unspecified time in the future.'