RESIDENTS in Cutnall Green have voiced their concerns over the volume and speed of traffic moving through the village in a meeting of the parish council.

25 residents attended a meeting of Elmley Lovett Parish Council on Tuesday evening to express their concerns over the number of heavy goods vehicles moving along the A442 and Elmley Lane, with people saying they struggled to get off their driveways, while others said they had put their houses up for sale because of issues with the traffic.

The current speed limit through the village is 40mph with a rise to 50mph either side, but one resident said that he had been monitoring traffic speeds through the village, and that several vehicles had exceeded 70mph. He intended to pass his finding on to local police.

Clerk to Elmley Lovett Parish Council, Nicholas Wright expressed his surprise at the turnout, but not the strength of feeling. He said: “It’s the one main issue in the village. The school is in Cutnall Green. People park in the main road and then in the rush hour this road is extremely busy. We’re writing to local companies to point out that there is concern from the parish council that there’s too much traffic on the road.

“It’s the speed actually, it’s quite an important thing to get something done. It’s an accident waiting to happen if cars come through here at 60 or 70 mph, and they do.

“We’re looking into ways to slow traffic down; speed signs, vehicle restriction signs, double white lines, the district council is liaising at the moment with the police and the county.”

The parish council is working with neighbouring Elmbridge Parish Council which also oversees the area covered by the A442, and writing to local businesses including Wiseman Dairies and Tooles Transport which both operate heavy good vehicles through the village.

The latter firm, which employs 70 commercial vehicles, and a number of local people, moved from the Berry Hill Industrial Estate on one side of the village, to Rushock Trading Estate on the other approximately two years ago, and residents say they have noticed an increase in the volume of traffic since the move.

John Toole director of Tooles Transport said his vehicles are fitted with telematics systems to ensure they keep within the speed limit.

He added: “We’re very aware of the issues. We like to live at peace with our neighbours, but yes the vehicles do run at day and night. Commercial vehicles do tend to start out early in the morning.

“We’ve got an operators’ licence, we’re a responsible operator, and we’re mindful of the amount of traffic, but we’re also mindful that we control the speed of our vehicles.”

Residents with concerns over the traffic in Cutnall Green are being asked to contact Elmley Lovett Parish Council at elmleylovettpc@aol.co.uk or by calling 01299 851639.