Salisbury MP Robert Key and country, district and parish councillors give their backing to Downton residents. 3/2/5CAMPAIGNERS are prepared to go all the way to the ballot box, in a bid to stop heavy lorries using their village as a rat run.

With Wiltshire county council elections looming, Downton residents are prepared to put up their own candidate to fight for a temporary 7.5-tonne weight restriction through the village - on the B3080 - to be made permanent.

The usual 18-tonne restriction was lowered last month, to coincide with the closure of the busy A36 trunk road. Since the enforcement, long-suffering residents say the number of heavy trucks thundering through the narrow roads has dropped dramatically, with lorries no longer using it as a short cut to the M27 - lessening noise and ending sleepless nights.

Official figures indicate that nearly 400 lorries use Downton every day, when the 7.5-tonne limit is not in place.

Salisbury MP Robert Key, Downton district councillors Margaret Peach and Paul Leo, Downton county councillor Julian Johnson and Downton parish councillors gathered with the Downton Residents Against Traffic (Drat) group and other villagers on Monday, to draw attention to the issue,

Mr Key said: "Talking to people such as the post office and other shops, it has made a huge difference to their quality of life, particularly for old people and children.

"I would certainly support Cllr Johnson and this 7.5-tonne limit.

"This is simply an issue of people or traffic and something really worth fighting for."

The MP also called for the installation of a pedestrian crossing at The Borough and the introduction of a 20mph speed limit through Downton.

Villagers carried out their own census on Monday, from 4.30am to 6.30pm, to monitor the difference the weight restriction is having on village life.

Downton homeowners and Drat members Jenny Sells and Claire Freemantle, who both live in High Street, say something has to be done.

Ms Freemantle said: "Village life is being ruined by thoughtless and totally unnecessary lorry traffic.

"Apart from the noise levels, which are intolerable, lorries frequently mount the pavement and cause lengthy gridlocks whenever they try to pass one another along our totally inappropriate, narrow and winding village street.

"It is dangerous to cross the road, particularly for the elderly and young children, and residents are regularly woken as early as 4.30am by early-morning lorry convoys."

Despite police monitoring the number of overweight lorries using the B3080 when the restriction was introduced, some have not stopped flouting the rules.