Annual walk highlights problems in Honiton.

Kicked up paving stones, damaged water channels and blocked gullies were just some of the problems areas identified by Honiton Town councillors during their latest grumble walk.

Councillors Liz Tirard and Roy Coombs joined a representative from East Devon District Council to take a look down High Street as part of the annual exercise.

The walk is used by the district council to produce a report which is sent to the town council.

Cllr Tirard, during a meeting of the town council last week, said: “We felt it was a valuable occasion and I think and hope it will be quite pro-active.”

She told the meeting that loose paving stones, damage to the water channel and the condition of the wall near the grounds of the congregational church were flagged up during the walk as well as missing grids adjacent to the road below the A373 traffic lights on both sides.

Concerns were also raised about missing or damaged pipes and blocked gullies, which were affecting the removal of rainwater from pavements causing drains to become blocked.

The town’s marketing manager, Tony McCollum, expressed concerns about “excessive foul smelling water” run off near Costa Coffee and the lack of consistent pavement and road cleaning - together with litter problems.

The poor state of decoration on two properties on the A373 junction and problems with the canopy above Bumps and Babies, which Cllr Tirard described as a “danger”, were also noted.

Cllr Coombs said there had been no time to look at problems outside of the town.