North Wootton villagers call for weight limit to be imposed on Manor Road following repeated sewer collapses
Fed-up villagers are calling for a road’s weight limit to be lowered amid frustrations that thousands of pounds are being “wasted” on repairs.
David Bullman and many others have been patiently waiting for Manor Road in North Wootton to reopen after Anglian Water closed it to repair a collapsed sewer.
Mr Bullman, who has lived in the village for 32 years, believes the collapse of the sewer was caused by HGVs transporting sugar beet from Eau Brink Farms.
He is calling for lorries to find an alternative route, instead of using Manor Road to transport their produce, and for the weight limit on the street to be reduced to 7.5 tonnes.
Mr Bullman estimates each lorry carries around 40 tonnes of sugar beet and therefore cause damage to the sewer underneath.
It is a vicious cycle for residents, who have seen Anglian Water come out to repair the collapsed sewer numerous times in the past four years.
During the summer, works resulted in part of the road being closed for five weeks.
It has been closed since October 20 and it is expected to reopen today (Friday).
“How long will it be before it collapses again?” Mr Bullman asked.
Meanwhile, the collapsed sewer has meant that other residents could not use their water properly.
Alan Clark, lives on the same street, has described the continued sewer collapse as a “major problem”.
“We are the first people to complain every time it goes wrong,” he said.
“It is dreadful. We have been living here for five years, and it has been impacting us for at least four of those.
“We have been getting up in the morning and not being able to flush the toilet.
“This should have been put right by now.”
Mr Bullman has been questioning which route the HGVs take while Manor Road is closed, and if an alternative route could be found.
“I am 90% certain that there is another way they could go,” he said.
“Since the road has been closed, we have not seen any articulated lorries in the village.
“I know farmers have to do their job, but this is a little village road.”
Another neighbour, who wished not to be named, is also “fed up” with the amount of farm traffic.
“It is unreal,” he said.
“There does not seem to be an end to it. We have been assured that the roads have been repaired. The problem is more heavy goods vehicles are going back and forward more and more.”
It is not only the road that has suffered damage. Tree branches have been knocked down elsewhere in North Wootton, and grass verges have been damaged where HGVs have had to mount onto paths when there is not enough room.
Mr Bullman claims that children who walk along the path to the nearby primary school are put at risk by the HGVs.
“Seven to eight lorries are coming past every hour during the mornings,” he added.
He and other neighbours have reported cracks in parts of the exterior of their homes, thought to be caused by vibrations from HGVs.
Another North Wootton resident, Jane Hilliard, added: “The road has been taking ages to repair.
“All of the roads around here are terrible. What do you do? We have to grin and bear it.
“I do not agree with HGVs coming down this road. North Wootton is not the same as it was before.
“At least you can walk down the path while the work is being done.”
A spokesperson for Anglian Water said: “Our repair works have taken longer than expected.
“Since October 20, we have been working on and around Manor Road to repair the sewer in the carriageway.
“While we always aim to reduce disruption to pedestrians and traffic as much as we can, our top priority will always be the safety of our staff and the public.
“We apologise for the inconvenience our work will cause. Some of our equipment will be large and noisy. We are sorry for the disruption this may cause.
“None of our work will impact water or sewerage services.”
We contacted Eau Brink Farms for comment, but did not receive a response in time for our deadline.
Norfolk County Council was also approached but had not got back to us as we went to press. We asked what the process is for a weight limit to be imposed on a road.
Mr Bullman told the Lynn News that his next point of action is to contact North West Norfolk MP James Wild for help.
A North Wootton Parish Council meeting is set to take place on Thursday, November 6, to discuss the issue further.