Councils must be given greater powers to penalise lorry drivers who follow unsuitable routes suggested by satellite navigation devices, the Local Government Association has said.

 

The group claims that a minority of lorry drivers are using cheaper sat navs designed for cars which are sending heavy vehicles under low structures, along narrow roads and across weak bridges. It says that lorry drivers should be compelled to only use commercial sat navs which allow users to enter a heavy vehicle’s height, width, weight and load.

 

The Association wants the Government to allow councils to enforce weight and width restrictions by issuing fines to lorry drivers who use unsuitable roads. Money raised could be used to tackle potholes, it added.

 

“There has been a spate of recent accidents involving lorry drivers driving irresponsibly and causing chaos,” said the Local Government Association’s transport spokesman Martin Tett. “The Government must start to give councils the legislative tools to help their communities and other motorists.

 

“Lorry drivers who get wedged in narrow roads or under bridges not only endanger themselves, other road users and pedestrians but also cause massive disruption,” he added.

 

The Association claims there have been several recent cases of lorry drivers following incorrect sat nav information and causing major damage, including to a historic bridge in Marlow in Buckinghamshire and when a heavy vehicle became stuck between two buildings in Bruton in Somerset.

 

Oxfordshire County Councillor Kevin Bulme, who represents the constituency of Goring, said the fines would be a “cheap, simple and effective way to keep HGVs on suitable roads and reduce road damage which we have to pay for as local tax payers”.

 

Councillor Bulme added that Goring often suffers from lorries blocking the narrow high street, which are either lost or have mistakenly taken a short cut.

 

A Department for Transport spokesman said: “We have invested £3M on enhanced digital mapping to keep traffic moving and help motorists get to their destinations quicker.”