FURIOUS residents say their picturesque seaside town has been ruined by an 'eyesore' road – making it look like something out of the Wizard of Oz.
Clevedon in Somerset is famous for its Victorian promenade, but locals are furious after the council covered it in garish yellow surfacing overnight.
Somerset Council laid down the buff material as part of its controversial £700,000 roadworks on the beach.
Local residents woke this morning to see the new path, which they have compared to Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz.
Some said the surfacing – in bright contrast to the newly laid road – has "devastated" the historic seafront forever and can be seen for miles around.
Others have described it as looking like an airport landing strip or the entrance to a shopping mall.
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It is understood the "yellow brick road" will get bigger with more work planned over the coming nights.
The arrival of the buff surfacing follows the installation of ‘confusing’ wiggly lines and a roundabout at a nearby junction, dubbed the town’s newest crop circle.
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A spokesman for the Save Our Seafront Campaign said: "First the wiggly lines and crop circle and now the yellow brick road.
"Our once magnificent seafront has been ruined."
The new surfacing is the latest blow for local residents and traders who have been calling for the controversial scheme to be reversed.
The project, which began in the autumn and has so far cost £700,000, has seen traffic along The Beach made one way and a new segregated cycle lane installed.
Parking has also been reconfigured to run parallel to the beach, with a large number of spaces being removed.
New loading bays have been installed and a "roundabout" installed at the junction of The Beach, Marine Parade and Alexandra Gardens.
The project has proved hugely unpopular with local residents and businesses who say it has killed off seafront trade.
A detailed report carried out by an independent highways consultant has been commissioned by the campaign group Save our Seafront and sent to the Department of Transport highlighting a number of safety flaws.
Our once magnificent seafront has been ruined
A petition calling for the changes to be reversed has now reached in excess of 6,000 signatures.
Leading safety organisation the RAC has also branded the road layout as one of the "most bizarre new road schemes it has ever seen".
The anger against the changes was also the topic of an adjournment debate in the House of Commons called by North Somerset MP Liam Fox.
A public meeting called to discuss the scheme was due to be held this week.
But it was cancelled following legal advice from North Somerset Council due to the forthcoming local elections.
North Somerset Council said: "The new surface road treatment in Clevedon now in place is one of the final parts of the scheme and is designed to make the area safer by helping slow traffic down.
"We expect many more visitors to come to Clevedon after the Pier to Pier Way opens later this year, which will bring more walkers and cyclists to the area.
"These works have made the area safer for all and also supports our commitment to provide sustainable travel routes across the area.
"The scheme has provided seven new crossing points, improved pedestrian and cycle user safety and will bring additional parking to the area.
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"The new buff coloured surface marks new pedestrian crossings, the space between car parking and the cycle lane as well as on the roundabout.
"The material was chosen in consultation with conservation officers and is frequently used in historic environments around the UK, for example Oxford, Bath and London."
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