Nick England, Gary Rowland, Paul Abbott, Chris Willoughby & Gareth Jukes of ToooT in Eye. (Image: Newsquest / SWNS)
Residents of Eye, Suffolk, have had enough of large lorries driving through the town and nearly hitting pedestrians, with one even saying ‘it is just a matter of time until someone gets badly hurt’.
Local campaigners have been left fuming as the thundering vehicles have reportedly inflicted tens of thousands of pounds worth of damage to local businesses, with fears escalating that it’s only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured.
Suffolk County Council had previously put in place an Experimental Traffic Regulation Order (ETRO) in May 2023, which prohibited lorries from passing through Eye, except for those providing services to local enterprises.
Yet, this restriction was lifted last year amid concerns that heavy goods traffic was adversely affecting nearby villages such as Debenham, Hoxne, and Stradbroke.
An HGV in Eye, Suffolk. (Image: The Bank Art Centre / SWNS)
Eye, once the smallest borough in the country until the 1970s and now home to 2,210 people, boasts a rich history, including one of the few remaining motte-and-bailey castles from the early Norman period.
The campaign group Trucks Out of Our Town (ToooT) has vociferously argued that lorries have no business trundling through the town centre and are clamouring for the reinstatement of the ETRO.
Gary Rowland, co-leader of ToooT, has expressed his frustration, stating: “Eye is not a viable route on the official Suffolk County Council lorry route map and so the lorries should not be here.”
He added: “The roads are too narrow and people are scared to walk down on the pavements as there’s not space to move out of the way.
“It is just a matter of time until someone gets badly hurt.”
Gary Rowland, joint leader of Trucks Out of Our Town. (Image: Newsquest / SWNS)
Nick England, a resident of Lowgate Street, which is notorious for HGV traffic, has voiced his fears for his family’s safety, revealing that his children have narrowly escaped being struck by lorries. He said: “We can feel the house shaking as the trucks mount the pavement and you can see the soot on the windows.
He added, “It has a real psychological impact.”
Nick England, who lives in Lowgate Street, one of the HGV pinch points in Eye (Image: Newsquest / SWNS)
In the same vein, Gareth and Nina Jukes, proprietors of the podiatry clinic Life and Soul on Church Street, are counting the costs after their business was repeatedly damaged by passing vehicles, with expenses exceeding £10,000.
Mr Jukes complained: “We’ve been hit multiple times and the pavement outside is starting to collapse.
“It also impacts our customers too as they get stuck behind the lorries and end up late for appointments.”
Gareth Jukes, who owns podiatry clinic Life and Soul says his store has been damaged by HGV’s (Image: Newsquest / SWNS)
The Bank Art Centre hasn’t been spared either, with the glass shattered on several occasions.
Shula Collins, a former postwoman in Eye, recounted her close calls with HGVs in Magdelen Street, an experience that led her to abandon her position in the town for a safer role in Yaxley.
Jon Betts, who manages the arts centre, has been thwarted in his efforts to create a wheelchair-accessible entrance due to the danger posed by the heavy goods vehicles.
Adding to the community’s grievances, Mr Rowland slammed the handling of the situation as “whole process has been undemocratic and bonkers”.
An HGV getting very close to the Bank Art Centre (Image: The Banks Art Centre / SWNS)
Chris Willoughby, who has a background as a scientist, has challenged Suffolk County Council’s data on vehicle numbers in nearby towns, branding it “inaccurate”.
Results from last year’s public consultation showed that the restrictions in Eye received a mixed response, with 39% of respondents expressing a positive view and 18% expressing a negative one.
The remaining respondents were either undecided or did not provide a comment.
Chris Willoughby disputes the data presented by Suffolk County Council to terminate the ETRO (Image: Newsquest / SWNS)
However, outside the restricted area, the feedback was predominantly negative, with 73% stating that it had worsened the situation in their community.
Mr Willoughby’s requests for clarification on these statistics have gone unanswered.
A Suffolk Highways spokesperson stated: “A wide range of data sources were considered before the decision that was taken in last year.
“We have kept the door open for discussion on next steps to help mitigate necessary lorry movements in and around the Eye area.”