A ‘DEBRIEF’ is to be held following the first big national event to be staged in Dawlish.

The British Cycling Dawlish Grand Prix was considered a coup for the town to be chosen to host the final race of the series for elite professional cyclists.

But the event, raced on a circuit around the town centre, sparked criticism over arrangements for road closures and traffic diversions.

Some motorists described the traffic as ‘chaos’ and cars were ‘bumper to bumper’ in narrow streets where traffic was diverted as town centre roads were closed off for much of the day.

A spokesman for Dawlish Town Council said: ‘Thank you so much Dawlish for your support during our first big national event.

‘We have been reading all the concerns (the constructive ones) and positive comments.

‘We appreciate everything from both sides.

‘This has been a big learning curve and we plan on making it a positive experience for Dawlish.’

The council agreed it was ‘not perfect’ but pointed out it was rare for an event of this size to run exactly to plan on the first occasion.

It continued: ‘It was a learning experience and we plan on examining things much closer to help future town events.

‘While we greatly understand the moans regarding traffic, there must also be an understanding of what it takes to keep a town alive.

‘Without special events such as this, towns die.

‘We must all come together for the greater good of the town, and not just our own selfish needs.

‘Yes traffic may have been bad for a short while on that one day.

‘The town has greatly benefitted from that brief moment of inconvenience.’

Town, district and county councillor Rosie Dawson described the racing as ‘amazing’.

She said: ‘Yes, there were some issues with traffic but that will all be brought to the town council and British Cycling debrief.

‘Cyclists and supporters came from all over the UK and a few said they must return for a short break as Dawlish is incredible.’