In comments forwarded to the local press, a spokesperson for the council accused lorry drivers of using Fort Road and the Tilbury Riverside car park as an “unofficial rest stop”.
The comments come after the council introduced new restrictions preventing lorries from parking in the area.
In a traffic regulation order published in September, which entered into force on October 7th, Thurrock Council announced a ban on HGVs in the following two areas:
- Fort Road, access Road to The World’s End pub (from its junction with Fort Road to The World’s End car park) in a west direction for a distance of 215m
- the entire extent of Public Highway of The World’s End car park
The notice on the HGV ban also contained the map below, which illustrates clearly where the bans apply.
If the comments from the council are anything to go by, it appears that word hasn’t got out about the ban.
In the first week after the ban became active, enforcement officers issued nine penalty charge notices to drivers for “ignoring” the rules.
Ben Maney, councillor responsible for highways, said:
“Heavy Good vehicles were using this approach road and car park as an unofficial rest stop. This is as well as creating access issues were causing damage to the road and car park surface, which was not designed to take vehicles over 7.5 tonnes We introduced new rules and are enforcing them to prevent this ongoing damage, which is ultimately something Thurrock Council taxpayers have to foot the bill for. There are several places where drivers can legitimately rest in and around Tilbury, so there is no need for anyone to use this road and car park. Enforcement action like that we have seen in the last week will make sure that the road and public car park are kept clear of lorries and does not suffer further damage.”
Photo: The World’s End Pub, Tilbury by John Glock, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
