Frustration over delay of HGV weight limit on narrow village lane

Local residents in a historic village within Suffolk have found themselves in an annoyance regarding a HGV limit set to be put in place to stop lorries travelling through this route. Suffolk County Council approved a limit of 7.5 tonnes on Water Lane in Lavenham in 2017, but with no action taken, villagers are demanding for a faster response. 

Suffolk County Council approved a measure for an experimental one-way weight limit of 7.5 tonnes on Water lane in Lavenham last year – but so far these updates haven’t been applied to the road. Local residents have been calling for an update for a long time following a series of incidents causing damage to old properties in the area which is estimated to be thousands of pounds in damage.

When speaking to local reporters, Suffolk Highways announced that the experimental traffic regulation is set to be put in place by August.

Local Council Chairman, Carroll Reeve, spoke regarding the matter explaining that local residents had become “very frustrated” by the lack of action.

 “We started talking to Suffolk County Council Highways two county councillors ago,” the chairman said. “So it’s been talked about for over five years. The original proposal was actually raised by a highways officer and they came up with this proposal of an experimental one-way weight limit.”

“It was their bright idea but it hasn’t happened. People are very frustrated by it, Water Street can just get snarled up and if you have a lorry going one way and a bus going the other way, it’s pandemonium.”

“It is exacerbated by inconsiderate street parking, some is that of residents and some is not, and it all ends up in a sticky mess. Fortunately, there have been very few serious accidents but we have consistently seen minor accidents, like vehicles scuffing one another.”

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