A campaign group calling for road safety measures to be installed in Tideford has “got the hump” after learning there is no funding available.

Safe38, which is calling for a Pelican crossing to be installed along the A30, has reportedly been told that all funding for current safety projects on the route in South East Cornwall has been pushed back to the next funding period by the Department for Transport to “balance the books.”

Campaigners were out in force during the long-awaited opening of the revamped children’s play park on Saturday, April 29 to drive home their message the traffic calming measure is now needed more than ever. They waved banners to get their safety message across.

The Pelican crossing is currently not included within the proposed package of safety works for the Saltash to Trerulefoot section of the A38 as part of the RIS3 road improvement scheme to be delivered post-2025.

James Millidge, the chairman of Safe38, said: “We are frankly shocked and dismayed that funding for this vital safety improvement on one of the South West’s most notorious roads has been delayed.

“Safety cameras, lower speed limits, and junction improvements would have reduced 30% of collisions and seen a significant reduction in deaths and life-changing injuries.

“How can it be right that residents and visitors to South East Cornwall will have to wait until after 2030, potentially 12 years, for the most basic of safety interventions such as average speed cameras?

“The Department for Transport is failing completely in its duty of care to road users on this stretch of road - these safety measures would have saved lives and reduced serious injuries. We think this is a serious error in judgment and very short-sighted.

“We call on the Department of Transport to make funding available so that, at the very least, average speed cameras can be rolled out by National Highways on this stretch of the A38 between Carkeel and Trerulefoot as soon as possible as we know these are proven to save lives.

“And we call again on our local MP to ensure sufficient funding for this is made available.

“It’s high time that South East Cornwall roads enjoyed their fair share of the levelling up so that they are future-proofed in the same way as the infrastructure further West in the county.”

The announcement was also attacked by the Liberal Democrats who called on the Government to fund the works immediately.

Cornwall Councillor Colin Martin said “This road has one of the highest accident rates in the county and is in desperate need of critical safety improvements. Sheryll Murray promised that this road upgrade was a priority for her but once again this has turned out to be a hollow promise. It’s another example of South East Cornwall being left behind.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for National Highways, which is responsible for major roads including the A38, said it was working with the Department for Transport (DfT) to "assess the wider implications of the announcement on our programme of potential future schemes", including the A38 Trerulefoot to Carkeel safety package.

They added that the work would now be considered for delivery beyond 2030 and that the extra time would help ensure schemes were "well planned and efficient".

Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, while acknowledging that the news would be disappointing for people, the "positive is the schemes are still happening, they're still being developed, but will just happen a bit later than previously scheduled to."