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downsmail.co.uk Taking action on illegal lorries


VILLAGERS and police have come up with a plan of action to tackle the problem of articulated lorries driving illegally along a country road nearMaidstone. Representatives fromLeeds and


Langley met with a delegation of officers, led by Ch Insp Ray Quiller, on July 23 to devise initia- tives to deter HGVs defying the weight restriction on the B2163. Residents will be able to report


infringements directly to Kent County Council via email. The datawill be collated and sent on to Kent Police’s commercial unit which tackles freight issues. This couldleadtodirect enforce-


ment by Kent Police. Localswill also be able to call the


police control room on 101 if they see evidence of law-breaking by HGV drivers, such as damage to verges, cars or property. Chief InspectorRayQuiller said:


“This was a constructive meeting where we heard the concerns of residents. My officers will deal with any offences they see whilst on patrol, in linewith their regular duties including emergency calls.


(ANPR) device to record vehicles entering the B2163 fromtheA20. Cllr Govett said local parish


councils affected by illegal trucks driving through their communities could club together to pay for an ANPR sign. The meeting at the George Inn,


was convenedbyDownsMail after years of public frustration at ap- parent police inaction over the issue,despite numerous calls to en- force the 17.5T weight restriction between theA20 and theA274. Local representatives at the


“Iwouldurge residents to report


incidents by email to Kent County Council to allow all partner agen- cies to identify the most effective way to respond.” Chairman ofLeedsParishCoun-


cil, John Govett (pictured above), said: “Ifwe have, for sake of argu- ment, 100 lorries going through presently and we can get it down to four, I’ll take that.” KCC’s Tim Middleton and Cllr


GaryCooke pledgedto investigate signs along the A20 and an auto- matic number plate recognition


closed session accepted police do not have the resources to deliver the level of cover needed to deter lorry drivers fromdriving illegally through Leeds and Langley. Cllr Cooke said: “It was a pro-


ductive and positive meeting and gives us something toworkwith. I am also aware that if you take the trucks off the road here, they will have to go elsewhere. That means Willington Street, and the people there don't want them either. For me, it strengthens the argument for a relief road.” Lorrymadness in Leeds, page 20


Whowas there


PRESENT at themeetingwere:Cllr Gary Cooke & Tim Middleton (KCC);CllrGill Fort&WendyYoung (MBC); Cllr Lesley Martin & Cllr JohnGovett (LeedsParishCouncil); PCSO Siobhan Derose, InspMark Hedges and Ch Insp Ray Quiller (Kent Police); residentsNeilWillett, DavidandMonicaWratten;Simon Finlay (DownsMail).


Report problems


TO REPORT lorries driving illegally along the B2163: EMAIL freight@kent.gov.uk or DIALKentPoliceon101if theHGV driver has broken the law.


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