The enquiry into the Local Plan took place at Kilver Court in Shepton Mallet. I attended in order to emphasize the importance of resolving the heavy traffic using Chilkwell Street as part of the A361 trunk road — the designated route for lorries from the Mendip quarries to the M5.

  I stressed the town council’s concern that the intent “to work with other authorities to reroute heavy traffic” should actually happen and not just result in more signs and road markings.

  The A361 after all does run through a tight residential area past key heritage and tourist assets, and parts of it are very substandard.

  Concern remains that the eastern end of Ashwell Lane remains closed to vehicles following a landslip. Traffic has to use the western junction with the A361 near the head of Coursing Batch, which is far from ideal. The county highway officials consider that a radical correction of the landslip would be too expensive to be justified.

  A similar landslip occurred at Tor Cottage in Wellhouse Lane, which was quickly dealt with in the 1970s.