VILLAGERS blighted by heavy goods lorries exceeding a long-awaited weight limit on a busy railway bridge in Sunningdale are being encouraged to rally together to help enforce the new rule.

Plans to curb heavy goods vehicles from using Chobham Road in the village came into effect last month with the introduction of a new 7.5 tonne weight limit after eventually being approved by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead’s cabinet.

But villagers gathered at the annual meeting of Sunningdale Parish Council last Thursday, raised concerns that despite restrictions finally being put in place after months of campaigning and a 1,000 signature-strong petition, it would be hard for the council and Thames Valley Police officers to monitor the tonne ban.

Andy Bristow, who lives in Chobham Road and spoke at the meeting, suggested residents take matters into their own hands alongside support of the parish council in order to clamp down on the HGVs.

Among his ideas of tackling the issue, are for villagers to take pictures of the illegal vehicles and then write to the Government’s traffic commission responsible for goods vehicle operating licensing as part of a neighbourhood lorry watch as well the possible introduction of a £100 penalty fine.

He said: “The reason I have got so involved with the bridge is that I have a technical understanding of it that the council haven’t got, forewarned is forearmed. It is an enforcement issue and the reporting procedure to try and circumvent it; to my mind it wasn’t really rolled out in the correct manner as the lorry drivers didn’t know it was happening but additional signage should help that.

“I have seen some lorries turn round or others who just ignore it with impunity and fundamentally there are breaking the 1988 Road Traffic Act. The main issue is there is no way of reporting it or capturing it as police would want to see evidence but there would be no point in implementing it as there are no consequences.”

The Royal Borough and neighbouring Surrey County Council have been at loggerheads over the bridge since RBWM’s decision to impose an 18 tonne ban on the bridge last summer as Surrey councillors feared it would force more lorries onto dangerous routes in the area, such as Chobham and Windlesham.

A spokeswoman for the Royal Borough confirmed enforcement of the weight limit is the responsibility of Thames Valley Police and Trading Standards.