Prosecution serves as a reminder to HGV drivers

Shropshire Council’s public protection and enforcement team are reminding lorry drivers of their legal obligation not to drive down roads or across bridges where there are restrictions prohibiting HGVs from doing so, unless they are required to make a delivery to premises located within the restricted areas. 

The advice follows a successful prosecution earlier this month where Shropshire Council brought a case against a 59-year-old driver, Ernest Charles Pearce, from Grimsby.  Pearce pleaded guilty to driving his 44-tonne HGV down Caegoody Lane, Ellesmere, which has a 7.5 tonne weight restriction in place, in July last year.  Pearce relied entirely on his sat nav to get him to his destination at Cargotec UK Ltd in Ellesmere.  

The court ordered Pearce to pay a total of £515 in respect of the offence.

Frances Darling, service manager for safer and stronger communities within public protection and enforcement, said:

“In June 2012 concerns had been expressed by a local resident that HGV drivers were regularly breaching the 7.5 tonne weight restriction on Caegoody Lane.  As it is not possible for public protection officers to monitor all our weight restricted roads and bridges 100% of the time, it is very helpful when the public provide evidence of offending vehicles as we can then investigate further.  In this particular case, the local resident who had raised concerns in the first instance was able to provide us with excellent photographic evidence upon which the case was based.”

The public protection team recommends that HGV drivers adopt the following guidelines to avoid breaching weight restrictions in Shropshire and elsewhere across the country:-

• Plan your route in advance.
• Ask the business you are delivering to for their recommended HGV delivery route; preferably get the business to send this to you in writing.
• Find out if the business you are delivering to is located within a weight-restricted area; if it is, establish the safest and most practical route to take.
• Do not rely on sat navs or members of the public for directions.
• If you are delivering to residents, make enquiries with the relevant council to establish the most appropriate route.
• Look out for and follow the instructions displayed on weight restriction signs.
• Avoid the areas where the signs are displayed, unless you are 100% sure that your delivery is to a location within the restricted area.
• Ensure you understand the meaning of the weight restriction signs.
• If you are an employed driver, encourage your employer to follow this advice.    

Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member responsible for public protection and enforcement, added:

“Weight restrictions are in place on a wide range of roads and bridges across Shropshire.  The reasons for the restrictions are varied.  They include protecting the roads and bridges and surrounding buildings from a structural perspective; protecting the local community by, for example, ensuring pedestrians remain safe around schools and colleges; reducing the detrimental effects on health that may arise from excessive exhaust fumes; and also protecting the overall environment.  I strongly urge HGV drivers to pay particular attention to the weight restriction signs and to follow the advice given by the public protection and enforcement team in order to avoid breaching the orders that exist across Shropshire and the rest of the country.”