Poor roads no access
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by Rob Willock • Lancashire hauliers may face restricted access to local roads because the network is in dangerously poor condition and there is no money available for essential repairs.
Preesall-based Entwisle Haulage is one of many firms which will have to make time and fuel-consuming detours if Lancashire County Council declares its 120 "moss roads" access-only.
"The roads between Preesall and Garstang are becoming unusable," says Fred Entwisle, "and are playing havoc with our vehicles' springs. It's a sad day when we cannot get our roads repaired. This company alone pays £100,000 a year in road taxes."
LCC's chief engineer for maintenance, Ian Hornby, explains the scale of the problem: "There are three areas in Lancashire where roads have been built on peat," he says. "We are trying to keep them all open, but permanent repairs would cost £33m. My budget for the whole county-7,700km of roads—is £18m and there's an £83m repairs backlog." He admits restrictions may be inevitable: similar measures are already in place around Southport. At a meeting of local councillors last week, access-only restrictions in the area were discussed as an option.
However, milk tankers and animal feed lorries would still be allowed to service local farms.
• Honiton haulier Oilsure is celebrating its prudence in buying a narrow-track tanker after Dorset County Council passed a motion to restrict access to the lanes around Marshwood Vale to vehicles under 2.2m wide.
Oil Sure's Tim Wadman says he had no idea the council was considering restrictions when he commissioned the 17-tonne ERF in August. "The outside wheels of my other vehicles were just on the mud down either side of the lanes," he says. "The narrow-track tanker is just nine inches narrower, but much better suited." Wadman has another similar vehicle on order from [RI.