THE flagpole at Summerleaze Downs is in need of some desperate repair work to ensure it is safe, according to one member of the public who sent a letter to Bude-Stratton Town Council.

Promotions, Marketing and Events Officer Andrew Morgan told councillors at the recreation committee meeting last Thursday (April 21) that he had received a letter from a member of the public raising concerns with the state of the flagpole, highlighting a number of different factors that need to be addressed as soon as possible.

In the letter it mentions that the support vines are loose, there is approximately a foot of movement from the pole when it should be stable, the splice has started to come undone and the thimbles are also coming loose and becoming corroded. The flagpole itself is fine.

Mr Morgan said the wires had been replaced by Western Power Distribution in 2011, but according to the member of the public they hadn’t done a satisfactory job.

He advised the committee that due to the health and safety element of the issue, the town council needed to act fast to make sure it was put right.

With that, chairman Cllr Frank Partridge proposed that Bude-Stratton Town Council obtain three quotes from engineers to carry out the required work and decide from there.

Due to the specialist nature of the work, the town council may have to pay engineers to come to inspect the flagpole and provide a quote, and therefore within the proposal it was added that this would be acceptable up to a maximum of £200. All councillors voted in favour of the proposal.