Heavy trucks rattling our homes, say Thornton residents

People living on West Drive in Cleveleys say drivers of 17 ton trucks are routinely using their road as a link between others parts of the town and primary road Amounderness Way (A585).

As a result, they say the infrastructure of the road is being undermined and that their homes are being shaken by the sheer weight of the vehicles.

Many fear the foundations and walls of their homes are being damaged and they argue their street is residential and should not be a major thoroughfare for heavy goods vehicles.

The residents were invited by County Coun Andrea Kay to meet up and discuss the issue.

They would like to see a weight restriction of seven-and-a-half tons placed on the road, reinforced by road signs, and a possible reduction of the speed limit from 30 mph to 20.

Coun Kay, who represents the Lancashire County ward of.Cleveleys East, said: "The residents here are fed up of having to put up with these huge trucks coming down here on a regular basis.

"This road was not built for those kinds of vehicles and they should not be allowed to come down here."

The councillor is looking to organise a more formal meeting between herself and the residents and plans to invite representatives whose portfolios cover the issues involved.

One resident, John Heywood, 67, said: "This is a problem - it's affecting the road itself and we're worried about what it's doing to the foundations of our homes."

Laurence Cheal, 79, said: "The backdraught from these vehicles shakes our house and we are convinced it has caused the cracks in our bedrooms walls."

Thomas Owen, 74, even set up a petition with 85 names last year but said nothing had come of it after he sent it off to Lancashire county council.

He added: " Of those who signed it, 45 of them felt the vibrations when these lorries went past."