'Ban lorries night parking'

COMMUNITY safety leaders are calling for an outright ban on lorries using Portishead's park and ride site as an overnight lorry park.The town's Local Action Team (LAT) wants to see truckers who park their car transporters up and sleep overnight in the Harbour Road site turfed off for good.The call follows concern about the mess left by drivers who drop bottles, takeaway cartons and other litter on the grass next to the park and ride.LAT chairman Geraldine Box said: "I went to the doctors the other day and I noticed all the awful rubbish strewn across the grass next to the park and ride."It looked a real mess and there was a mix of bottles, cans, empty takeaway cartons and wrappers."There is also the issue that if the drivers are staying there overnight and Waitrose is closed, there are no toilet facilities for them and this could prove a real health hazard."Where are they going to see to the call of nature? What I would like to see is an outright ban on these lorry drivers using this area as a place to stay overnight."They are only there to avoid the charges incurred by staying in a proper lorry park."The land is owned by Persimmon, which is building thousands of new homes at Portishead Docks.Persimmon special projects managing director Richard Briggs said: "As work continues to develop the area for mixed use which will include a number of commercial units, access for lorries needs to remain open and being close to the M5, many lorry drivers use Portishead as a stop off point and are using the land to park up for the night. No consent has been given to park on this land and none of the lorries that are parked are linked in any way to the company."The matter will be discussed at the next LAT meeting.