A call has been made for safety improvements to a road into Crapstone from Yelverton which has been the scene of at least two serious accidents in the past few years.

Campaigners say the long straight road across moorland needs the 30mph limit to be extended further along the approach to the village.

This is needed because of the multiple junctions onto the road and the increased traffic in recent years due to new housing and an industrial estate.

The most recent crash was on January 24 when a motorcyclist in his twenties was left seriously injured and is still in hospital. Another young male motorcyclist suffered life-changing injuries after a crash at the same spot a few years ago next to the war memorial. Both crashes involved a second vehicle. A horse rider has also been killed in a crash in the past.

The accidents happened at the intersection of four roads with the memorial creating a traffic island on one side. The road where the most recent crash was is still closed due to damage to the surface from when the car involved caught fire.

Buckland Monachorum parish councillor Cllr Ric Cheadle said: “We really need the 30mph limit to be extended to past the Yelverton side of the cattle grid as traffic approaches Crapstone. It’s too late for traffic to slow down, by the time they get closer to the village and reach the current limit sign.”

Devon county Cllr Philip Sanders said: “We’ve been trying for a long time to make the case for extending the speed limit. This is not an easy junction and is made more of a risk due increased traffic from new homes, the business park and new homes planned for Stoke Hill Lane”

Parish Cllr Frayne Coulshaw, said: “There’s been several serious accidents here and the speed limit is the most obvious way.”