I SEE plans for the Kingskerswell bypass are back in the headlines again.

This time it has been decided that no decision on the £120million link road scheme will be taken until after the general election.

Will this long-awaited road ever get off the ground, you may ask.

It has been talked about for decades and there was even hope of a start date this year, which now seems as likely as David Pedrick-Friend winning the Torbay seat for Labour — with the utmost respect, of course, David.

Torquay businessman Barney Bettesworth has been around long enough to see the bypass hopes rise and then fade over the years.

He came across a Herald Express cutting from 1970 which had a story in the late news column on Page One.

Headlined: 'Kingskerswell Bypass Scheme Go Ahead' it said: "Kingskerswell bypass scheme costing £1,900,000 is listed by Ministry of Transport today among 87 projects for main road improvements outside urban areas. These schemes are expected to be able to start during 1971-72 and extending for about five to eight years."

Barney points to the fact that the date of the Herald Express edition was April 1 and says: "This was either an April fool joke or more realistically nothing changes."