Restored weather vane will take pride of place on new flagpole

The road outside Sidmouth Lifeboat Station will be closed tomorrow morning (Tuesday) while an unsafe, corroded flagpole is taken down.

The 12 metre high landmark has been recognised as an ‘important feature of the seafront’ but has become badly damaged by corrosion and is due to be replaced with a similar structure more suited to marine conditions

A weather vane that took pride of place on the old pole is being restored and replaced on the new mast - which is due to be installed in the next two to three weeks.

East Devon District Council (EDDC) has been working with Sidmouth Lifeboat rescue team to ensure it can operate as normal while contractors remove the pole outside its HQ.

The road outside the lifeboat station could be closed for up to two hours in the early morning (Tuesday, February 23) while contractors remove the steel structure.

Councillor Iain Chubb, EDDC’s cabinet member for the environment, said: “We recognise that the flag pole is an important feature of the seafront and of great value to the local community.

“Unfortunately, the old flag pole is not in a suitable condition for refurbishment, so we are replacing it with a new pole of similar height.”

The replacement will have similar features to the old one and be made from materials more suited to a marine environment.