End of the road

Lorries could be banned from the centre of Southwell under plans being considered by Nottinghamshire County Council.

The town has been included in a county-wide highways review.

Problems caused by lorries have become so bad that residents on Church Street and Easthorpe have set up an action group to try to find a solution.

They say the road is unsuitable for the large number of heavy goods vehicles that use it as a shortcut between Nottingham and Newark.

The council’s head of highways, Mr Chris Charnley, said a particular area of concern was the junction at the Saracen’s Head Hotel, where Church Street and Westgate meets Market Place.

One option being considered is to ban longer lorries, which struggle to get around the mini-roundabout.

Mr Charnley said the review would not necessarily cut out shorter lorries, but could deal with the longer ones that caused most of the problems.

As well as considering lorry-free zones, the council is also looking at working in partnership with satellite-navigation companies to keep lorries off unsuitable roads.

It will look at other councils’ policies for dealing with lorries.

The chairman of Southwell Traffic Action Group, Mr Mark Bertolini, said they were pleased the town’s traffic problems were being taken seriously.

He said: “They are looking at several solutions to improve the situation and, although it is frustrating that things have not actually been completed, we are delighted that Chris and his team have been very constructive in pursuing these ideas, including lorry-free zones.

“We are looking forward to us making real progress.”

A member of Southwell Town Council’s highways group, Mrs Beryl Prentice, welcomed the review.

“We would support what the county council is doing, it is an excellent move forward,” she said.

“If they can get some improvement for us we would be very appreciative.”

Mrs Prentice said the real concern was not just lorries clogging up the streets, but the damage they caused to historic buildings.

She said large lorries could not get around the roundabout at the Saracen’s Head without going on to the pavement.

“That is potentially a lethal spot,” she said.

Mrs Prentice said the town council tried to contact haulage companies about the problem and some had agreed not to come through the town.

The county council’s review is expected to finish early in the new year.