A PLEA has been issued for anyone with information about a 'rather special' missing slate milestone to come forward.

Dave Richardson, from Launcells, has written on the parish website and in the parish magazine, and said he was 'not entirely surprised' when nobody responded.

The parish is home to a number of milestones dating from the late 19th century. It is dissected by two major roads — the B3254 running north-south from Kilkhampton to Launceston, and the A3072 running east-west from Holsworthy to Bude — each with its own distinctive milestones.

Mr Richardson wrote: "On the B3254, Launcells has a full complement of four milestones; the first two from Kilkhampton are north of the parish boundary. These are large granite milestones, with crisp, clear inscriptions, dating from around 1890.

"The milestones on the A3072 are rather different. They are slate, most probably from Delabole, and are quite special. Slate is an unusual material for milestones as it is relatively soft and brittle, making the milestone more susceptible to damage than their granite counterparts — especially in the 21st century with large HGVs and mechanised hedge and grass cutters.

"The A3072 milestones were installed in the 1870s by the Holsworthy District Highways Board on roads radiating from Holsworthy. Now, there are less than nine remaining. Of the original 14 on other roads in Devon, few survive and they are very battered. This makes the group on the A3072 rather special.

"There is one in Bude-Stratton (the two nearest the coast disappeared decades ago), two in Pancrasweek, and, until recently, there were two in Launcells. The one surviving is near Thurlibeer, but now the one at the entrance to Shernick Farm is missing."

Anyone with information about the missing milestone can contact Mr Richardson, anonymously if preferred, on 01288 38133 or 07580 360665 or email [email protected]">[email protected]

For the full report, see this week's Post.