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People living at Sutton Harbour say Plymouth’s half marathon is causing “chaos” and making their lives a misery because it blocks all the roads around their homes every time there is a race.

A residents’ group member is seeking urgent talks with politicians claiming that effectively trapping people inside the course route is a “denial of our civil liberties”.

The issue came to a head on Sunday when Mariners Court resident Joanna Pine was filmed trying to drive onto the B3240 at Bretonside while it was being used by runners.

John Worsley, a board member of Plymquay management Ltd, which represents home-owners in Mariners Quay, said that closing roads around the harbourside for 11 hours during the road race is unacceptable.

“It stops us doing what we want to do,” he said. “It’s impossible to get out, or for anyone to get in.

“It’s a wonder there have not been punch ups in the past.”

About 1,000 people who live or work in the Sutton Harbour area are estimated to be affected by the road closures which are part of the annual race.

Following an outcry Ms Pine, who is disabled, explained she needed to attend an appointment and could not exit any other way apart from at Hawkers Avenue.

Mr Worsley said Ms Pine has “done us all a favour” by highlighting the issue.

He is now contacting all the residents in Mariners Court, Dolphin House, Century Quay, Discovery Wharf, Harbourside Court, and Pinnacle Quay.

A letter to residents is headed “Plymouth Half Marathon Chaos”.

Mr Worsley said about 1,000 residents were affected, plus people trying to get to work in the area and care visitors calling on elderly people.

He said early replies from his emails revealed residents had not received a mail-drop warning them about the road closures in 2018.

And he stressed that in any case closing roads from 4am until 3pm was not reasonable.

“If it was for two hours it would be acceptable,” he said. “But 4am to 3pm is not acceptable.”

(Image: Rob Bricknell)

He said other motorists, in addition to Ms Pine, had moved bollards to get their cars out of blocked-in areas of the waterfront during the race too.

“Lots of people were moving cones out of the way,” he said. “They needed to drive out of the area.”

Mr Worsley said he first complained to half marathon organisers in 2008 when he had to abandon a planned walking expedition on Dartmoor because he was unable to drive his car out of Sutton Harbour during the half marathon.

“Those people that want to go running spoiled my day,” he said. “I didn’t want to go running but did want to go for a walk on Dartmoor that morning.

“I had a long talk with the organisers and as a goodwill gesture they sent me a pair of walking socks.”

The half marathon’s organisational structure has altered over the years and it is now called Britain’s Ocean City Half Marathon and run by Eventwest.

Mr Worsley said that in previous years residents had been encouraged to use the Bretonside C car park, on the corner with Vauxhall Street opposite the King’s Head pub, free of charge, leaving their cars there the night before and then exiting past the former coach station to St Andrew’s Cross.

(Image: Rob Bricknell)

But that was not an option this year because the road was closed for development of the £53million Drake Circus Leisure multiplex.

“So we couldn’t get out,” he said.

Mr Worsley wants to know why runners use both lanes on roads, and why a one-way system could not be installed to allow vehicles to access one of those lanes with racers on the other.

“The mentality is that it’s priority number one to let the race through,” he said. “But it stops us doing what we want to do.

“It’s a denial of our civil liberties.”

Mr Worsley has requested a meeting with the three Sutton ward city councillors “to see if anything can be done about it”.

Eventwest and Plymouth City Council have been contacted and The Herald will publish their responses when they are received.