Construction headache for residents living near new Preston link road site

Martin Rayfield of Old Smithy Close has called on Lancashire County Council to investigate the condition of Lea Lane, after recording up to 40 HGV movements an hour.

He said: “The muck and dirt is not liveable. The wheelwashers and road cleaning machines are useless.

“Then there’s the damage to the roads, it’s appalling. There are no roads in Preston having to put up with 40 tonne lorries coming down 40 times an hour, for the next two years.”

Mr Rayfield said residents had not been informed of the impact of the work and he has complained to LCC about potholes and broken footpaths, caused by lorries parking up in the road, waiting for entry to a works compound.

Since his first complaint, which has been echoed by MP Mark Menzies, LCC officials have visited the area and companies carrying out the work have agreed to hold waiting lorries in the car park of a nearby disused pub.

Project manager Phill Wilson said: “For any large road scheme, such as the Preston Western Distributor, contractors will be heading to and from the site at different times.

While they are working on the project, we give instructions to any contractors about what we expect of them and these will be further reinforced. We aim to notify people in general about major work taking place in the area, but it isn’t possible to keep them updated on every aspect, especially as it can be subject to alteration as the construction work continues.”

A LCC spokesman said the authority is "looking into" Mr Rayfield's concerns about the state of the road.

Anyone with questions or concerns about the building of the Preston Western Distributor are asked to email: [email protected]