Residents in the Kent village of Mersham have seen a another influx of lorry traffic hit its streets due to the nearby Sevington Inland Border Facility having no postcode, leading to GPS route errors.
It is said that some truckers are turning off the A2070 link road earlier than they should, resulting in them having to drive through Mersham to reach the lorry park, which is located near Ashford retail park and the M20.
According to Kent Online, some villagers said the disruption caused by the truck traffic in January was a “total nightmare”. One even complained that the trucks made her “house shake”.
Following complaints from residents, signs were erected nearby the M20. However, some trucks still ended up making their way through the village en route to the Sevington Lorry Park.
To try and remedy the problem, Kent County Council created a 24/7 monitoring system outside Mersham early last month. However, the scheme has ended, and with officers no longer there to point trucks in the right direction, HGV traffic once again seems to be flowing through Mersham on a regular basis.
Video footage uploaded to YouTube earlier this week shows several lorries crossing paths on tight village roads after sundown.
When asked about Mersham’s traffic chaos, Kent County Council told The London Economic that permanent signs were due to be installed on the M20.
A spokesperson said:
“We understand residents’ frustrations and we are working closely with the parish and local county councillor to deal with the issue. We no longer have a 24/7 officer on site, but have added more signs directing HGVs to where they should be going. Highways England is due to install permanent signing on the M20 and the DfT is ensuring the postcode for the site is available on Google and sat navs.”
Photo credit: Joe Mellor / YouTube
