AN IDEA for a willow sculpture to make the most of the green space behind Lidl's supermarket in Okehampton has been put forward to prevent it becoming a 'dead area'.

At a meeting of Okehampton Town Council last week, mayor Christine Marsh said she did not believe anyone would use the space as a picnic area which was what it was originally intended to be.

She said the Okehampton Rivers Improvement Group had given some thought to the vacant piece of land which is currently under the control of West Devon Borough Council and a willow sculpture which the primary school children could become involved with was considered a good idea.

'It could be something like a serpent which the children could be encouraged to walk around on their way to school,' she said.

'They could weave the branches and train it so it would also become an educational project.'

She has suggested that some of the money set aside by the borough council for this site could be used for the sculpture and perhaps the town council could take it over once the site had been brought up to standard.