Path users in call for night-time light
RESIDENTS in Bow, near Crediton, are calling for some light to guide them to their nearest shop.
They are are campaigning for new street lights at a footpath that was built by Devon County Council to provide people with a safer route to the only convenience store in the village.
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Campaigners want a footpath properly lit at night
The Co-Operative store on Burston Cross is approximately 100 yards from the village and until the footpath was installed the only route to the shop and nearby garden centre was to walk along the busy A3702.
Villagers were pleased when the footpath was opened but now feel the lack of lighting on the path has become a safety issue.
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More than 100 people have so far signed a petition and the scheme is being backed by Bow Parish Council and Councillor Nick Way.
Cllr Way said: "Users of the pathway must feel safe at night and we are pressing Devon County Council to install a properly-designed scheme. This is the only retail business in Bow and a lot of people use it. The strength of feeling is strong – people want this."
Concerns for the elderly using the path have been raised, and with winter months setting in it could prove difficult for them to do their shopping. Doreen May, who is a team leader at the Burston Road store and village resident, said: "It's terribly dark up there. I start work at 6am and two years ago when it snowed it was so dark I needed a torch because I couldn't see anything.
"I've signed the petition because unless you drive, the footpath is the only way to the store. We are the local store, the only one in the village. Elderly people wouldn't be able to use the path at night because it's too dark."
Having a convenience store in the village is a necessity for many and a service residents have come to rely on.
Many people are worried that if they cannot get to the store in the evenings it may close early, leaving the village with no night-time amenities.
Clerk to Bow Parish, Brenda Ware, said: "Being the only shop in the village we want to make sure it remains.
"It would be horrendous if we lost it."
Nobody from Devon County Council was available to comment at time of going to press.
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