LORRY drivers trying to travel down a restricted road in Thetford have been issued with on the spot fines of �300 during an operation which saw almost 100 vehicles pulled over by police officers.

LORRY drivers trying to travel down a restricted road in Thetford have been issued with on the spot fines of �300 during an operation which saw almost 100 vehicles pulled over by police officers.

Norfolk Constabulary hopes its action will act as a deterrent for those who ignore the weight limit on Bury Road which was put in place to stop vehicles of more than 7.5 tons travelling in the direction of Bury St Edmunds.

Due to the narrowness of the road caused by a line of parked cars, traffic can grind to a halt if two large vehicles coming in opposite directions meet and struggle to pass each other.

Following complaints from nearby residents about the problem, officers carried out checks along the road last Wednesday and ended up giving 11 lorry drivers caught red handed fines of �300 each.

They also gave out fixed penalty notices to 22 motorists for offences including using mobile phones while driving and speeding, while one was reported for carrying scrap metal without a licence. Notices were also handed to 13 drivers whose vehicles had defects.

Another 46 drivers of 3.5 ton goods vehicles were stopped and given windscreen stickers reminding them of the speed limits for their sized vehicles.

Road Policing Sgt Simon Atherton, said: “We carried out the roadside check day to target issues that were raised by the local community, whilst continuing to drive down motoring offences and reducing casualties on our roads.”

Pam Spencer, the mayor of Thetford, welcomed the police's clampdown on the irresponsible lorry drivers which has been an issue the town council has tried to solve for years.

“The council has complained to the highways department about it but we've never really had anything come of it,” she said.

“People park on the roads because there's a row of old terrace houses there which don't have their own spaces.

“If you happened to have a juggernaut, and I say juggernaut because that's how big they are, come from the Bury end and if there happened to be someone else taking the wrong road you can imagine the chaos it causes.

“The standard of driving in Thetford has gone down considerably and I'm all for the police spending there days trying to do something about it.”

Anyone with community concerns can contact the Thetford Safer Neighbourhood Team on 0845 456 4567.