HGV anger in villages over bridge weight limit

East Riding Council carried out the work on the Grade II* listed Sutton Bridge at Sutton-on-Derwent on the North Yorkshire border after a lorry ploughed into the crossing last January.

Although it has made life more peaceful for local villagers, the new limit has seen HGVs diverting through Bubwith, Foggathorpe and Holme on Spalding Moor.

Holme on Spalding Moor Parish Council’s chairman, Chris Worrall, who is standing as a candidate for the East Yorkshire Independents in next month’s elections, said: “We now have many more heavy vehicles coming through our villages and we have had no input into the process. We weren’t invited to speak or even informed of the meeting when the decision was made.”

Tom Fitzpatrick, who runs Elvington Village Store, said: “Obviously local residents prefer less traffic, but that’s not good for business. Why not let the traffic flow, I say?”

East Riding Council said a final decision had yet to be made, with the weight restriction introduced for an 18-month trial.

There had been support for a permanent limit from villagers in Sutton-on-Derwent and Elvington, but residents in Bubwith and Holme on Spalding Moor wanted it removed.

A report is due to be submitted to the council’s environment and transport overview and scrutiny committee in June.

A statement added: “The difficulty with a local weight limit such as that introduced on Sutton Bridge is that an improvement for one community often results in increased problems for nearby communities as a result of the displaced HGV traffic.

“This has occurred in the case of Sutton-on-Derwent and there is unlikely to be a solution that will satisfy all concerned.”