Asda’s lorry deliveries ‘cause sleepless nights’

NEIGHBOURS ‘WOKEN BY DRIVERS WHEN PARKED CARS STOP ACCESS TO STORE’

LORRY drivers delivering to the Asda superstore in Oadby in the dead of night are leaving neighbours suffering from sleepless nights, it has been claimed.

Neil O’Brien, MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, has got involved in the row after agreeing to meet people living in Regent Street, behind the A6 Leicester Road store.

Residents said they are becoming increasingly frustrated by delivery vehicles coming and going from the site while they are trying to rest.

Asda said it is not breaking the rules as the timings of supermarket deliveries were changed during the pandemic to allow them to receive deliveries outside specified hours.

Patricia Bramley, one of a group of residents who recently met their MP, and Oadby borough and county councillor Kamal Ghattoraya, to discuss the matter, said: “I have lived on the street for 18 years.

“When I moved in, I believed Asda lorries were not meant to be using this entrance between the hours of 10pm and 6am.

“There used to be the odd lorry that would come during these hours but now, at least for the past 10 years, they use it 24 hours.

“When the lorries are unable to move around the corner due to parked cars on the street, they will honk on their horns loudly and continuously, regularly knock on doors and flash their lights to get attention.

“They will do this regardless of the time of night.

“Someone has to go out to either move cars, knock others up if we know who the vehicle belongs to, or guide them out. So we are often disturbed.”

Residents said an Asda car park accessed from Regent Street is rarely used by shoppers, but attracts antisocial behaviour.

“The car park at the top has little use for cars parking to use Asda and the barrier should be put down at 10pm,” said Ms Bramley.

“This rarely happens, however, and when people do complain it will be intermittently put down. But this is never maintained over a length of time.

“The top car park is used for cars to race around and groups to meet up, play music, shouting and often smoking cannabis and dealing drugs.

“This can be any time in the evening or overnight and, again, wakes me up.

“When this issue is reported, the police presence is noticeable for a few weeks and acts as a bit of a deterrent, but then stops.”

Ms Bramley said neighbours are frustrated that “no notice is given” when repair work is carried out on the lorry entrance, which is also completed overnight, involving “flood lights, diggers and Tarmac machines”.

She said: “On the last occasion, the people in the houses opposite the store on the A6 were informed, but not us that it directly affects.

“This work started at 11pm and went on until 6am.”

Ms Bramley said residents are worried about parking near their homes because of the delivery lorries and that, when they try to, spaces are often taken up by Asda employees.

Mr O’Brien said: “It was useful for Councillor Kamal Ghattoraya and I to meet the residents and to hear more about the different issues faced on Regent Street.

“I’ve reached out to Asda’s head office to share these concerns, with a view to hopefully organising a meeting shortly between Asda and impacted residents.

“I’ve received an initial positive response from Asda, so I’m confident we can all work together to resolve these issues as soon as possible.”

A spokesman for Asda said: “We value the opinions of our neighbours and thank them for raising their concerns with us.

“We work closely with the community in Oadby and appreciate their understanding while delivery restrictions have been waived to allow supermarkets to receive deliveries outside of the previous specified times.”