SEVERAL people braved the cold and rain to join a silent protest in Tavistock's Bedford Square last Saturday morning.

Michael Pithouse, a West Devon Borough councillor, was joined by four other people to protest about the enhancement of the town centre, while some shoppers stopped to voice support.

'I'm quite happy to say I'd like enhancement but there is none,' said Mr Pithouse.

'Where are the trees, where are the fountains?

'If somebody genuinely wants it enhanced, we aren't getting it. I'd like a bit more character — we have been sold a development with less features than promised.'

Norna Beadle, town burgess and a former mayor of Tavistock joined Mr Pithouse in his protest but felt it was too late to be effective.

'I can't think it will do any good now. Perhaps we should have done this months ago,' she said.

Her views were echoed by Judith Williams, one of the founders of the referendum group which organised a privately-funded poll revealing a substantial majority of respondents objected to the scheme.

'I am not sure there is anything we can do at this stage,' she said.

Ted Gibson, complete with sandwich board, carried on his protest for most of the day.

'The support was heart-warming, so I thought I'd go on. Cars were tooting me and people were giving me the thumbs-up,' said Mr Gibson, who felt it was not too late to object to the enhancement scheme.

'It could be modified even at this late stage — perhaps a new council in May will change it all,' he said.

During the morning, Mary Tavy resident Mrs V Cornish collected names of objectors to the enhancement scheme. She intends taking the matter to judicial review because she said petitioners 'will have had their constitutional rights flouted if the alteration goes ahead'.

Archaeologists called in by site team

VICTORIAN culverts have been discovered by workmen digging in front of Tavistock Town Hall.

Archaeologists from Exeter came to the town last week to inspect the old culverts, made of brick and slate.

One culvert is 'live' and will be used to carry away surface water, the other was silted up.

Tessa Jennings, site engineer in charge of the work said the culverts were measured and photographed by an archaeologist who believes they were built at around the same time as the town hall in 1860.

Work on the enhancement scheme is going ahead according to schedule. Granite slabs removed from the existing built-out area will be used to replace small setts and cobbles near Court Gate, improving access to the disabled, elderly and people with pushchairs where the uneven surface is difficult to negotiate.

This week the fenced-off area in the north east corner of the square was extended as the pedestrian island was removed and the area prepared for laying of granite slabs.

Work on the £390,000 scheme should be finished in July.