Buckeridge Road bench taken off the hill after slats wore through

15 September 2026

The rest bench halfway up Buckeridge Road was taken away this week. Dave Burgess posted photographs to a Teignmouth Facebook group showing worn slats still in place, then the empty verge. He said the frame was sound. “All it needed was a couple of new planks bolted in, but it has today been completely removed.” He asked whether the council meant to put one back.

Buckeridge Road climbs from the town towards Trinity School and Higher Buckeridge. Survey points along the street rise from about 24 metres to nearly 88 metres above sea level in less than 600 metres. On a slope like that a seat is a pause for older residents, people with shopping, and anyone who used to wait when a bus still called there.

A stop named Buckeridge Road (NW-bound) is still listed in national bus data near the Paradise Road junction. Maxwell Jones, who has walked the hill most days for 15 years, said the bench belonged to that former stop. Once the service went, he argued, it sat on a tight pavement and ran against Active Travel England advice that resting points “should not obstruct walking, wheeling and cycling routes, and must not form a hazard to disabled people.” The same guidance also says steep routes should have places to sit, ideally less than 50 metres apart.

Devon County Council is the highway authority. On the same thread a resident said Teignmouth Town Council has decided some benches are not its to maintain, even though they sit in the town.

The town council does look after seats it claims, including the Chatty Benches on the seafront. It has not said whether this one was on its list. Another commenter pointed to Mill Lane, a second steep climb, where three benches have become one shabby seat.

Neither the county nor the town has issued a public statement. Anyone who wants a bench back will need to ask the highway owner through devon.gov.uk, or press the town council on which seats it still counts as Teignmouth’s.