County councillors, afraid that safety measures the Highways Agency aims to put in place on the A38 may hold up the much-needed Dobwalls bypass, have called for an assurance that the scheme will remain on track.

The Highways Agency says it is striving to counteract problems at certain accident-prone spots on the A38. A total of 65 per cent of accidents on the road take place between the towns of Bodmin and Saltash - the stretch which includes Dobwalls.

Among safety measures suggested by the Agency is a new roundabout where the A390 to St Austell meets the A38 at Dobwalls. Similar roundabouts have been proposed at Bodmin Parkway, while zones to slow traffic may be introduced at Dobwalls and Saltash, as well as at Trerulefoot.

Experts have also said that the section of road between Bodmin Parkway and Carminnow roundabout needs to be improved.

The county's land use and transport committee are concerned that a decision on the by-pass may be affected by the suggested developments. County councillor for the area, George Hocking, said that the improvements should be looked at carefully 'in light of the fact that a decision on the Dobwalls scheme is to be made.'

He added that they should not be 'detrimental to the fact that the bypass is desperately needed by people in the area.'

Residents in Dobwalls have been promised a bypass for almost 50 years - but last year upped the pressure for one to be provided with a series of protests. They have also led protests to ministers, but have come away disenchanted by the government reaction. Among others campaigning with them has been local Liberal Democrat MP, Colin Breed.

A spokesman for the Highways Agency said the safety measures were a separate issue from the bypass.

There are fears that once the huge Eden Project near St Austell, which Prime Minister Tony Blair was due to visit today (Friday), is up and running the amount of traffic using the A38 through Dobwalls will increase even further.

As a result residents, who find themselves living in a village divided by the road, claim they will find it even more difficult to cross from one side to another - or negotiate the traffic queues which regularly build up there.