Fears someone will be 'killed' by HGVs cutting through town
Watch Ben McGrail's report
People in a Devon town fear it is only a matter of time before someone is killed there, due to lorries mounting the kerb as they drive through.
Residents of Bampton have told ITV News West Country the number of HGVs passing through seem to have increased during the Covid-19 pandemic.
They say the lorries are causing damage to the road, pavement and homes.
Tim Hagon lives on Castle Street and has put a camera on the side of his home. He says it's captured 20 lorries a day mounting the pavement.
He says his family feels at risk every time they go out: "We have to look left and right to make sure that we’re not going to be hit by a truck that’s mounted the pavement.
"They would never see us. It would all be over very quickly, because of the height of the things they can’t see down onto the pavement and they certainly can’t see us coming out of our front door.
"I just feel that we really shouldn’t have to look left and right coming onto the pavement - understandably when you’re going to cross the road but the pavement should be for pedestrians."
Other people who live along the road say they want to see something done about it.
Vice-chair of Bampton Town Council Lucy Bull said the problem isn't with all delivery drivers, only the largest vehicles.
She said: "One of my jobs this year has been managing a nursing home in the middle of a pandemic and like a lot of us in the past few months we’ve realised the key significance of these key workers, like delivery drivers, like care workers, and I wouldn’t ever want to slow down delivery drivers coming into the village. We’ve all been able to keep safe because of the key work that they’re doing.
"I don’t feel that there’s any need for enormous HGV lorries, and we’re talking enormous lorries, coming down here. There are proper motorways and A roads for them to use. They do not need to be using Bampton as a shortcut."
Juliet Main also lives on Castle Street. She said: "We have a wonderful facility of a new park just up the road but my concern is actually my children going to that park.
"They’re independent enough to be able to go to the park on their own but actually to navigate that road safely is a concern."
Simon Fouracre is chair of Bampton Town Council and said: "Unfortunately it was a road built before modern traffic so reducing the number of very heavy vehicles coming through and reducing the speed would be a realistic aim.
"It is heavy traffic that’s the problem and speed."
The town council will now seek advice from a traffic consultant to try to solve something that’s caused concern for people of all ages here for years.
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