Safety fears at Chunnel rail link
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• Fears are mounting that many tippers working on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) in Ashford are unsheeted, badly maintained and dangerous.
In a spot check on the A20 near Ashford last week 15 vehicles were stopped and three were given immediate prohibitions. Two of the prohibited vehicles were on CTRL work. One was not sheeted; the other had bald tyres which were said to have holes the size of a10p piece.
But these results are just the "tip of the iceberg", according to Ashford Councillor Mike Claughton. He predicts that safety standards will get much worse as new building work in the area starts in about six months' time.
Early predictions are that there could be up to 700 lorry movements a day next year.
"There is no excuse for any lorry to leave unsheeted and if it is, it is not the driver's
responsibility," says
daughter. 'There should be someone checking every vehicle." •
He is raising his concerns with Rail Link Engineering, the project managers. CTRL contractor Kvaerner points out that the spot check was not designed to target purely CTRL traffic, stressing that the two PG95 were for "minor faults".
Alasdair Cathcart, contract manager for the rail link, adds: "Our vehicles are quite rightly monitored along with other HGVs on the public highways, as part of routine traffic checks."
According to Inspector Tony Bartlett at Ashford Police, some of the drivers subcontracted by Kvaerner when it took over the contract about a year ago were "not up to standard". But he reports that this has now improved: "We have worked with Kvaerner and will keep on monitoring the situation," he says.