PARKING campaigner Teddy Cranmer fears Dartmouth is in danger of sinking under the weight of double yellow lines.

After fighting a long battle against parking restrictions he is upset to see new traffic orders are coming into force on various roads in Dart­mouth and Kingswear on October 24.

But county and district councillor Jonathan Hawkins said the orders had been widely advertised and are in response to residents safety concerns, such as allowing emergency vehicles to pass.

They include no waiting at any time on specified lengths of Britannia Avenue, Church Road, Clarence Hill, Coombe Road/College Way, Cross­parks, Davis Road, King's Quay, Mount Boone, New­comen Road, Oakwood close, Seymour Drive, South Town, Townstal Pathfields, Victoria Road and Weeke Hill and within Kingswear on lengths of Bridge Road, Brixham Road, Hillhead Park, Raddi­combe Drive and Waterhead Close.

Cllr Hawkins said the orders on 'pockets of roads' were approved by South Hams Highways and Traffic Orders Committee in the spring and controversial areas were removed.

'This is what was considered acceptable by Dartmouth and Kingswear,' he said.

But Mr Cranmer, of Broadstone, Dartmouth, said residents should be making the decisions and it was the third time in four years that they had opposed the county council's 'draconian plans for the death of the town'.

'In October 2013, Dart­mouth overwhelmingly rejected Devon County Council's plans concerning parking in the town,' he said.

'Out of an estimated 5,000 residents, 1,037 rejected the ideas put forward while just 11 were in support.

'Almost exactly 12 months later these parking proposals have reappeared in much the same format as before but leaving out the winter restrictions on the embankment. No doubt these will reappear next October in conjunction with pay and display proposals rejected by the town in 2011.

'One can only assume the county council has some deep loathing of localism. What is it about the word "no" they do not understand?'