DIRECT action has been taken by Watchet Cllr Rosemary Woods to block a road and stop lorries arriving at a building site while children were making their way to school.

Summerfield Developments (SW) Ltd is building 250 houses in Liddymore Road, next to Knights Templar School, which shares the same access.

The company’s construction management plan said an average of five to eight delivery vehicles a day were expected, and they would all be requested to avoid ‘school sensitive times’ and make deliveries between 9 am and 3 pm.

However, part of the planning permission for the development allows work to start on site at 7.30 am Monday to Friday and at 9 am on Saturdays.

Cllr Woods said she had heard many complaints by residents about lorries arriving early at the site and the danger posed to school pupils and their parents.

It reached a crisis point last Friday when a larger than usual number of lorries were making deliveries from about 8.15 am.

Watchet Cllr Rosemary Woods, who took direct action to stop lorries.
Watchet Cllr Rosemary Woods, who took direct action to stop lorries. ( )

Cllr Woods said: “I was quite worked up when I saw lorries arriving so early in the morning and I asked a man on the gate who said they were continuing until 9.30 am.

“So, I went and stood in the road in front of the next lorry and he stopped.

“It is unfortunate that unless you do these things, they just carry on.”

Cllr Woods said she had previously reported complaints to Somerset Council but all that happened was the authority passed them on to the company, which would apologise and then carry on.

She said: “I was sorry it had to come to this but something had to be done to get the point across.

“It was a bit chaotic for a few minutes because the lorry was in the road and parents bringing their children in cars had to drive around it.”

Summerfield managing director James Holyhead told the Free Press: “We work extremely closely with school and the headmaster has been a brilliant ally in actually getting the works done.

“We are well aware of the welfare of the staff and especially the children and the health and safety risks of having a site adjacent to a school.”

Mr Holyday said there were about 17 lorries due on site on Friday because a concrete pour for foundations of properties was taking place and there was only a limited time frame for it to be completed.

He said: “As soon as the time comes when we are not allowed to bring in lorries, we stop the lorries on the road, which we have done before.

“It was stationary, not moving, and it was no danger. The site manager was there with the lorry saying ‘stop, you are not going any further’.”

Mr Holyday said although it was often a challenge, Summerfield had similar restrictions on other sites and was used to managing them.

He said: “In our minds we are doing everything we possibly should.”