THERE was a mixed reaction to the running of a national professional cycle race through Dawlish.

The seaside town hosted British Cycling’s prestigious Lloyds National Circuit Series which saw the cream of the country’s cycling talent speed round a course through the streets.

The evening’s elite men’s and women’s races were preceded by a host of events, including rides around the circuit for children and the community.

Roads were closed for much of the day and diversions put in place.

But while there was enthusiasm from some who enjoyed the thrill of the racing and the , there were complaints about traffic ‘chaos’ and gridlocked roads in and out of the town, described by one driver as ‘absolute carnage’.

Motorists reported spending ‘hours’ getting home and some diversion routes were considered unsuitable for the volume of traffic, particularly at rush hour and while other roads in the town are shut by South West Water.

One resident said: ‘On one side it’s great to have an event pulling people into Dawlish and amazing to watch the cycling which has never interested me but I wasn’t too happy about being forced to watch it as I wasn’t allowed to cross the Strand for over 30 minutes.’

Town Clerk Andrew McKenzie said there had been some congestion in and around Old Town Street early afternoon.

However it is understood there was an incident between a vehicle and a van which exacerbated the situation.

He said: ‘There will inevitably congestion with an event of this nature.

‘I drove through myself at 3.30 and the roads were clear.

‘The closure was managed by a reputable event company.

‘The road closure was applied for by British Cycling and there was diversion signage in place signposting to the most appropriate route.

‘The closure was signed off by Devon Highways, and also the Teignbridge Safety Advisory group which included fire, ambulance and police representatives.’

A town council spokesman added: ‘It was wonderful to see so many people coming out and coming together to enjoy this celebration.

‘While we do understand road closures can cause some frustration, we also see the need to bring unique and captivating events such as this to our town to keep it alive and thriving.’

Former town councillor Val Mawhood said the town appeared to be well organised for the races but there was total chaos elsewhere.

She said: ‘I spent nearly four hours trying to unlock gridlock around Church Street and Oak Hill which meant drivers trying to get through via High Street jammed places like Park Road and Old Town Street too.

‘Some drivers were trying to get to their homes around there or thought there was a route back to the holiday parks.

‘There should have been serious communication between the Dawlish Town Council, Devon Highways and the main organisers of the competition so that there were proper diversion signs, police and /or marshals at pinch points and real, advance notification to the public, not just on social media.

‘Local residents might be aware of other routes around the town but that knowledge was of little use when finding themselves in a log jam.

‘Visitors of course, were in an even worse situation if they were not familiar with our restricted road system.’