HOW many local people realise that with the recent closure of the Loop road to civilian vehicles, the Duchy of Cornwall took the opportunity to introduce measures whereby they can apparently close vehicular access to the moor at 'Moorgate' without consultation.
I appreciate that the recent weather has made access for vehicles difficult and most people would be wise not to attempt driving to the moor under these conditions anyway. But these new restrictions are yet another indication of how personal freedoms are being eroded.
If the Duchy can restrict access due to snow, how long will it be before they decide to invoke these new powers to restrict access during heavy rain storms or other forms of inclement weather?
I can find no indication as to how long this situation will remain, so at the moment it appears to be a closure of indeterminate length. You may say, the moor should stay closed until the snow has melted or at least started to melt, but that brings us to the issue of who deems the snow to have melted sufficiently to once again allow vehicular access to the moor?
If I had this amount of power I might be persuaded to keep the moor closed for longer than some might consider absolutely necessary, simply to save us poor hapless locals from ourselves. And that is the basis for my concerns.
Keith Yapp
Station Road
Okehampton