GAZETTE & HERALD: COUNCILLORS are contacting angry householders after a weight restriction sent heavy lorries past their homes.

Town councillors Ellie Bland and John Ireland have begun leafleting homes in Lickhill Road, Ridgemead, Dixon Way and Newcroft Road after Calne Town Council re-imposed a weight restriction on William Street. The restriction, which had previously been lifted, forces lorries ferrying building materials to go through Lickhill instead.

The council imposed the restriction because the lorries were going past Fynamore School but Coun Bland said the new route will affect more people than the previous one.

She said she has been called by several people who were angry at the decision and decided to organise the survey to discover what families living on the new route think.

She said she understood people would be affected either way but that the William Street route affected less people.

"First thing in the morning you have children and parents at Fynamore School and the Nursery on Lickhill Road.

"We now have more traffic pouring into Lickhill than ever before and the new route would make problems worse.

"John and I will be doing a leaflet drop asking for people's opinions so that the people can have their say.

"We did a study of houses, schools and miles involved and the William Street route was the shortest and safest route."

Coun Bland believes the workers will only be at the site until the autumn.

Coun Ireland agreed, saying the original route was the far better option.

He said: "They are not having to come through the town centre or go up North Street or Lickhill Road where the infrastructure is Victorian.

"Also the lorries aren't allowed to be used when the children are entering or leaving school, which was an agreement put in place before the weight restriction was temporarily lifted."

A letter from a Wiltshire County Council highways officer had said the council recommended removing the weight restriction permanently.

Coun Nick Dolman said he felt the right decision had already been made.

"As far as I am concerned the reasons for the weight restrictions we had are still valid reasons and I feel that the thought of heavy goods vehicles driving along William Street, which is a very busy street with the biggest junior school in the town there and a big shopping centre at the end of the road, is wrong," he said.

"This view was supported by the planning econonic and regeneration committee where it was agreed overwhelmingly to request the weight restriction to be re-imposed.

"It's unfortunate that Coun Bland, who attended that meeting, was unable to make her thoughts known to the rest of the committee where she did not speak and abstained from voting.

"If she felt so strongly about it then she could have taken advantage and made her thoughts known to the rest of the councillors at the meeting."