Compulsory purchase orders issued

If the scheme is approved, the road will cut through rural countryside

Eleven properties could be demolished to make way for the construction of an £85m road in south Devon.

Compulsory purchase orders have been published for the affected properties in Kingskerswell.

In addition, 85 landowners could lose some land which is needed for the road that will bypass Kingskerswell and link Newton Abbot to Torquay and Paignton.

Protesters claim millions of pounds would be wasted and that the project could destroy Kingskerswell.

Improvements on the A380 between Penn Inn and Kerswell Gardens are aimed at reducing congestion, improving air quality and road safety.

Richard Hamlyn, from the Kingskerswell Alliance, said: "We believe the council is putting the cart before the horse and causing unnecessary distress to the people having these orders placed upon them."

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Compulsory purchase orders have been handed out

He said the council could have waited until the Department for Transport made its decision over funding for the multi-million pound scheme.

"Let there be no doubt - if there's no Department for Transport funding, there will be no bypass," he added.

But Paul Ewings from Devon County Council said that while there would always be a small amount of risk because of the financial implications, the scheme had been in the pipeline for a number of years and the council was trying to move on as quickly as possible.

Devon County Council and Torbay Council said improved transport links would help boost the area's economy, tourism and environment.

A DfT decision is expected early next year, although objections could trigger a public inquiry, which would be held next summer.