‘Lorries tearing up road are keeping us awake all night’

Residents at heritage area claim HGVs are making deliveries between midnight and 7am

RESIDENTS in a sleepy heritage area say they have suffered sleepless nights after an invasion of HGVs.

People living in Park Bridge in Ashton-underLyne, Tameside, have had to endure lorries carrying 40ft containers rumbling down Park Bridge Road after Moda Furnishings moved into a warehouse at nearby Bottom Forge.

Residents, who have complained to the council and MP Angela Rayner, say lorries have been waking them up and tearing up the road.

The sheer size of the vehicles, they claim, makes it difficult for cars to squeeze past. But Tameside council bosses say that because the road is unadopted, there’s little they can do to limit traffic – but are monitoring noise levels.

Residents say deliveries are often made between midnight and 7am, with around six HGVs a day using the road, and ‘countless’ visits from smaller vans.

They claim lorries are often parked up at the side of the road, making access difficult for others.

Peter Rosbottom, who lives near the warehouse itself, said: “I’ve lived here for 20-odd years. I’m being woken up at all hours.

“This is a heritage area, it’s not industrial any more.

“We just want a bit more consideration from the company – it’s disturbing a lot of people’s sleep.”

Jean Marsden said: “The damage they’re doing to the road is ridiculous.

“One lorry has hit a bridge. It’s gridlock in the morning.

“It’s causing a lot of distress for people – the noise is ridiculous.”

Park Bridge was once a derelict post-industrial area, but has been transformed into a picturesque heritage site in recent years. Residents are now recording the number and times of HGV visits, as well as taking photographic evidence of disruption. They say they’ll be writing to Moda Furnishings and are prepared to take the matter to court.

MP Angela Rayner said the situation had become ‘intolerable’.

A Tameside council spokesman said residents’ complaints, though ‘always taken seriously’, must be balanced against the town hall’s ‘ duty to support business’.

The spokesman said the council’s powers are ‘limited’ as Park Bridge’s industrial legacy is enshrined in planning regulations – and bosses can’t impose traffic regulation orders on unadopted roads.

But action could still be taken after noise monitoring is carried out.

Moda Furnishings, run by husband and wife Philip and Joanne Lomax, designs and sells indoor and garden furniture online from a showroom in Failsworth, Oldham.

The company declined to comment.

‘This is a heritage area, it’s not industrial anymore’