‘It’s an utter misery’ – Ditchling residents present lorry petition to East Sussex County Council and Sussex Police

From left to right: councillor Jim Shepherd, councillor David Elkin, county councillor Sarah Osborne, Victoria Byrne, Shelley Wood

The petition demands that the limit of lorries over 7.5 tonnes is properly enforced.

Resident Victoria Byrne said: “Local residents feel ignored. We have raised this issue time and again and we are getting nowhere.

Villagers have had enough. That’s why we decided to put together the petition.

We are only a small village but why should our quality of life and the health and safety of our children be put at risk?

The strength of feeling among locals is obvious from the number of people that have signed the petition.

We ask East Sussex County Council and the police to take action and deal with the menace of large lorries on the streets of Ditchling.”

The petition has been signed by 435 people - almost 18 per cent of the village.

Shelley Wood told the Middy: ““We need a sustainable solution to this problem.

“The large lorries have such a detrimental impact on residents’ quality of life.

"East Sussex County Council and the police need to realise the effect of their lack of action on residents, but also that continuing not to enforce the ban could result in both potential accidents and health issues.

“Cars have already been damaged and we are concerned that a member of our community could be next.”

Sarah Osborne, county councillor for Ouse Valley West and Downs, said residents were fed up with the constant gridlock, noise and pollution caused by large lorries on the narrow streets.

“It’s an utter misery for residents of the village,” she said, adding: “Their cars are frequently damaged and vehicles frequently have to drive on pavements to avoid large lorries endangering pedestrians, small children and the elderly on a regular basis.”

In response, East Sussex County Council said: “HGVs are permitted to use roads where weight limits exist for environmental reasons if they are loading or offloading from a property in that area.

“We will be checking signage to ensure that the restrictions for through traffic are clearly presented, but Sussex Police have the power to enforce weight restrictions.”

Sussex Police said: Sussex Police met with residents last week and are fully aware that this is a problem for the local community.

“While it is not possible to have a constant presence in the area, we are sympathetic to their concerns and we are looking at ways to work with everyone involved to address the issue."