Anger at tractors on narrow village lane
ROADS bosses are investigating after complaints from fed-up residents about tractors pulling large wagons up a narrow lane.
Residents in Edenfield contacted the Free Press about regular vehicle movements on Gincroft Lane, claiming they were causing noise disturbance, vibrations and damage to the road.
A newly formed residents group has been set up to try and address numerous issues on the road.
However, a firm regularly using Gincroft Lane say they have all the relevant permits, have used the road for only 43 days in the past five months.
Coun Anne Cheetham, who has lived on the lane for 55 years, said: “There are certain arrangements of tractors and trailers dumping so-called waste on a field at the top of Gincroft Lane.
“You can have at least 12 movements a day going up bouncing. Those lorries are extremely heavy; it’s a lane of one-car width, not a road. We have got a lot of people walking on the land and now we’ve got these vehicles going up.”
Rossendale MP Jake Berry said: “This is an extremely distressing situation for residents on Gincroft Lane and I know there’s been ongoing concerns about the level of traffic using the lane. Late last year I wrote to [Lancashire County] Council urging them to visit the area to carry out a survey and consider introducing some form of weight restrictions. With these latest problems, however, this is now a matter of urgency.”
In a statement, SR & RJ Brown Limited said they only access Gincroft Lane - between 8am and 5pm on weekdays - in order to complete Land Management Operations on behalf of the land owners.
They said: “The land has been under its present ownership for two years as part of a farming portfolio. The relevant permits for the works completed are in place and have been approved by the relevant Regulatory bodies.
“Works completed are intended to improve the agricultural land for future years. We maintain a traffic management diary which shows we accessed Gincroft Lane on 43 days between the 1st September 2020 and 30 January 2021. We are not the only agricultural contractor within the immediate area that utilises the lane in order to access land to complete maintenance and other works.
“All vehicles are subject to strict weight restrictions and are operated within these limits. Vehicle movements are kept to a minimum. We have not received any reports of damage to verges and/or embankments. We cannot comment on the standard of the road surface under the control of the council as this is beyond our remit.”
They added: “At the time of issuing this statement we have not been approached by any of the residents, local councillors or MPs in relation to any of the concerns you have raised.
“We are disappointed with the lack of contact and communication from the parties.”
A Lancashire County Council spokesman said: “We are currently investigating complaints from residents of Gincroft Lane about vehicles transporting materials to nearby land, and whether planning permission may be needed for the activities taking place.”