Oxford,
26
April
2018
|
11:03
Europe/London

Residents weigh in over HGVs on rural roads

Villagers throughout Oxfordshire are working with the county council’s trading standards team to police the scourge of heavy lorries ignoring weight limits on rural roads and bridges.

And three out of the four most recent prosecutions in Magistrates’ Court have come about after members of the public reported the drivers and their vehicles to the council.

Oxfordshire County Council enforcement officer Simon Mitchell said: “While we and the police do actively patrol hotspots, our partnership approach with local residents is proving very successful.”

One, David from Watlington, explained how it works: “If while I am driving about I see something that doesn’t appear right I report it.

“I do it via the online web page and I always get a reply letting me know what’s happened. This can sometimes take a while but that’s in the nature of things if you are investigating something which may end up in court.”

The most recent prosecution results were:

  1. Mr Glen William Leeman, Gravesend, Kent (age 57)

    Warborough. Public report.

    44T vehicle in contravention of the 7.5T environmental weight restriction

    Fined £580 plus £150 costs and a £58 victim surcharge.

    Total: £788

     

  2. Mr Arkadiusz Zalewski, Nottingham (age 43)

    Charlbury x 2, Public report.

    26T vehicle in contravention of both the 7.5T environmental weight restriction and 7.5T weak bridge weight restriction

    Fined £850 (£425 x 2) plus £150 costs and a £42.50 victim surcharge.

    Total: £1042.50

     

  3. Mr Karl Skilton, Frampton on Severn, Gloucester (age 50)

    Newbridge, Public report.

    44T vehicle in contravention of the 18T weak bridge weight restriction

    Fined £180 plus £461 costs and a £30 victim surcharge.

    Total: £671

    Since February 2016, there have been 100 prosecutions for breaching weight restrictions brought by Oxfordshire Trading Standards resulting in £55792.50 in fines. A further 57 more cases are under active investigation.

    In total 660 formal warning letters have also been issued to HGV drivers as a result of investigations into the 454 public reports, 157 vehicles seen by patrolling Trading Standards officers and 460 vehicles recorded by the ANPR camera at Newbridge