A SUPPORT group has been set up to deliver vital fuel supplies to villagers in Calstock stranded after a road collapsed on Christmas Day.

Residents believe it could be at least six months before a 20-metre stretch of the single track road next to the River Tamar, known as Lower Kelly, is fully repaired, after two thirds of the road collapsed in the storms, leaving only a small section to walk through.

Firefighters have set up a temporary store at Calstock Boatyard and heating oil is being brought in by wheelbarrow to many of the 38 homes and four businesses that have been cut off.

The road only has one access in and out and with vehicles trapped, residents and business owners are concerned how they will go about their daily business.

Everything from bringing in supplies by ferry, to building a bridge over the River Tamar or a temporary road through the picturesque Danescombe Valley, are being discussed.

A public meeting was held this week to discuss possible ways forward and a support group FOLK (Friends of Lower Kelly) has been set up as a result.

Structural engineers have been on scene assessing the site this week.

Following the collapse, which began at 11am on Christmas Day with another major collapse at 3am on Boxing Day, five households were evacuated but later told they could re-occupy their homes as there were no signs of properties being affected.

Owner of the Calstock Boatyard Elizabeth Dawes said: 'It's a total nightmare from a business point of view.

'We have 60 boats in the yard and we also have a furniture business manufacturing seating for cinemas and theatres across the country.

'On January 6 business resumes but we are cut off now. I do not know what we are going to do.'

People occupying holiday cottages at Lower Kelly for Christmas have gone home by public transport, having to leave their vehicles behind, and resident of Kingfisher Quay Denise Taylor said her plans to go to her daughter's for Christmas had to be shelved.

'Unfortunately we had the Christmas dinner in the back of the car as well,' she said. 'We had to go to Plymouth and hire a car because we need a car to get to work. My husband works in Liskeard so he is not on the direct train or bus route.'

Lower Kelly resident Ian Craft said he had reported the state of the road to Cornwall Council in the summer: 'It was a shock when the road collapsed but what was more shocking is that the council never looked into it when it was reported. This may have been avoided.'

Another local resident who did not wish to be named said the road was only ever built for the horse and cart.

He said: 'Most of the houses have been here since the 1850s but the traffic wasn't. There are heavy vehicles and construction lorries coming down here and the road can't take it. The road was cracking and the retaining wall was bulging a year ago.'

Richard Hocking, technical engineer for Cormac Solutions Ltd, which delivers in-house services to Cornwall Council, said the collapse was due to water pressure building up behind the retaining wall.

'After assessing the site, the remainder of the road looked stable and there are certainly no signs of any more major movement, just potential for little bits to fall away,' he said.

'The properties along the road were not affected. I believe they are founded on rock rather than soil.'

Cornwall councillor for Calstock Dorothy Kirk said most of the people living along Lower Kelly had oil central heating and at this time of year, were reliant on transporting their fuel in.

Cllr Kirk said: 'We are looking at all avenues from a ferry service to vehicles on either side of the hole in the road shuttling goods.

'We need to find a way so people can go about their business.

'People are being very supportive to each other here in Calstock —it is a lovely community.'

Engineers are looking into the possibility of constructing a temporary road through the Lower Danescombe Valley to provide access.

Corinna Woodall, manager of the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), of which the Danescombe Valley is part, said this was also a World Heritage area and had special features which could be damaged by construction work.

'Care needs to be taken in relation to the World Heritage site,' she said.

A spokeswoman for Cornwall Council said a site meeting had taken place on Monday (December 30) to carry out a structural assessment of the area and to consider how to progress the replacement of the wall and repair of the highway.

The council's priority at the present time was to ensure residents' safety, to make sure the surrounding area was structurally safe and to put a plan in place to restore access.

'The council is continuing to look at possible options to enable people to access their vehicles and in the meantime will be funding alternative transport,' she said.

A series of residents' meetings had been held over the weekend with householders being informed of arrangements that had been put in place for emergency cover.

The Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service had tested all the hydrants along Lower Kelly Road and established a list of equipment at the boatyard including portable pumps, ladders and hoses. All properties along the road had been visited and, where possible, home safety checks had been carried out.

Arrangements had also been put in place for the fire boat from the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service to attend if deemed necessary.

The council will be arranging for independent structural surveys of five properties immediately adjacent to the landslip.