From Mike Bomford, Exeter 382173, February 08, 2007

The Chairman of Branscombe Parish Council has welcomed a one-off donation from Devon County Council and their promise to undertake essential road repairs as a matter of priority.

The Leader of Devon County Council, Cllr Brian Greenslade, and its Chief Executive, Phil Norrey, gave a pledge to Parish Council Members that the County Council would help the village in any way it can to recover after thousands of people descended upon the village in the wake of the Napoli incident.

The County Council will give the Parish Council £5,000 - more than the Parish Council's annual budget - and has instructed its highways contractors to make good roads that have been damaged as a consequence of the incident.

The Chairman of the Parish Council, Cllr John Bass, said:

"We are absolutely delighted that the County Council is giving us the support we need at this time. It is an extremely generous gift. The sheer intensity of public interest and the high numbers of people flocking to the village has left its mark, but Branscombe is a wonderful village with a strong community.

"We haven't yet decided how we will use the money, but it will be spent carefully for the good of the local community."

Roads in the area have been heavily used, and an initial assessment by the County Council has highlighted some improvement work needed to grass verges where cars have driven over them.

The County Council will continue to monitor the condition of the roads, which will include a final assessment once the container recovery operation is complete.

A representative of the County Council and Devon County Councillor Margaret Rogers, who is also a resident of Branscombe, will meet John Bass next week to talk about any roads improvements required.

Cllr Rogers said:

"The County Council will do all it can to help the village as much as possible. The donation we've given to the Parish Council means that they can decide how it is best spent for the local community."

NOTE TO EDITORS

Councillor Margaret Rogers can be contacted on 01297 680384