SIGNS warning that Denham Bridge is unsuitable for large vehicles should be improved, say residents in the area.

Their concern follows the prolonged closure of the bridge after it was partially demolished by a lorry almost two weeks ago.

The road was due to re-open yesterday (Wednesday) but the closure caused major headaches for residents of the area and would have meant a major detour for emergency vehicles coming from Plymouth to the Bere peninsula.

Bere peninsula residents who use the road to get to Yelverton and Plymouth had to take a long detour via Tavistock. It is also used by people from Gunnislake and villages on the borders of Devon to get to Plymouth. Buckland Monachorum and nearby village residents use the road to get to Gunnislake.

The accident occurred on the evening of Wednesday, July 23 when a lorry pushed out the parapet of the old packhorse bridge, built in the 1700s, knocking the stones into the river.

John Osborne from Bere Alston was irate at the closure and damage: 'This happens at least twice a year. It is going to take someone to get killed before they do something about it.

'There used to be a two tonne axle weight restriction which meant only small lorries could go down it, but the signs were removed. Why?

'The huge lorries are damaging the roads and hedges and the roads have to be patched every year instead of every several years as they used to be.

'An ambulance takes an extra 20 minutes each way to get to Bere Alston from Plymouth — that could risk some people's lives. It is going to take someone to die before Devon Highways do something.'

Buckland Monachorum resident Linda Downing said she and her husband worked in the woodlands on the far side of the bridge and its closure had a huge effect daily. They had to drive into Tavistock and all the way back every day to work.

Mrs Downing said the road had been affected on 'numerous occasions' by lorries getting stuck in the narrow lane and being unable to negotiate the bridge.

'A lot of the time it's foreign lorries racing back to catch the ferry in Plymouth. If you are driving a car down there and you are new to the road it's bad enough, but if you are driving one of these massive lorries you don't have a chance.

'It's the most beautiful bridge, it's listed and it's just getting battered to death. They just haven't got the right road signage on the road.' Mrs Downing said.

In March 2008 Buckland Monachorum Parish Council noted that 'the lane and hairpin bend leading from Buckland to Denham Bridge is unsuitable for large vehicles' and the parish clerk was to contact Devon County Council to request the warning signs be made clearer.

A spokesperson for the county council said there had 'not been a weight restriction on the bridge for many decades', but the width restriction was 'shown quite clearly on both approaches'.

He said: 'The number of accidents at this location is not exceptional and the bridge is rarely closed.

'The bridge is grade 2 listed masonry arch and therefore work to reinstate this historical structure has taken a little longer.

'Three metres of bridge parapet were damaged in the incident on July 23 and specialist divers have been recovering the loose masonry from the riverbed — the river is around ten metres deep at this location.

'Specialist stonemasons have been working over the weekend to repair the bridge,' the spokesperson said.