A COMPANY behind the current roadworks in the centre of Tavistock has reassured the community that work will be completed before one of the biggest highlights in the town’s calendar.

Western Power has been undertaking essential works on Duke Street over the past couple of weeks in order for power cables to be redirected after a fault with a line under the River Tavy.

Western Power has assured the public that work on Duke Street, and now West Street, will finish on November 30, just in time for Tavistock’s popular Dickensian Evening on December 1, but will move on to Church Lane, by St Eustachius’ Church, as it stands, from December 4 to December 22 to finish off the essential work.

A spokesperson for Western Power said: ‘There was a fault with the cable under the river so Western Power are currently redirecting the cables on Duke Street.

‘The work is essential and we are trying to keep everything tidy and work should be finished by the end of the month, and parking on Duke Street should be back to normal by the end of the week.

‘Then we will have to complete work on Church Lane, which will be closed off while the works are completed.

‘We are hoping to be finished by December 22 on Church Lane. We are working as fast but as safe as we can with the least amount of disruption.’

Business Improvement District (BID) manager Lisa Piper said that BID was working closely with Western Power to minimise the disruption to shops: ‘This is a critical time of year for the shops but we understand that this is critical work that needs to be done.

‘We are working with the shops and Western Power and we have managed to organise the closure of Church Lane to be split into sections to allow access to the shops at any given time.

‘We are working to minimise the impact and disruption and we are looking at options to minimise the effect it will have to businesses on Church Lane.’

Mike Harper, chairman from Tavistock Chamber of Commerce, said: ‘These works have had to be done as an emergency, however, we are disappointed in the lack of communication to the community and the disruption that it has caused.’