DAILY near-misses and human waste outside buildings is the sight facing workers on a borough industrial estate which is being used as an unofficial lorry car park.
The situation has got so bad businesses on Moons Moat industrial estate have been driven to launch a petition to stop lorry drivers parking there overnight.
The online poll calls on Worcestershire County Council to step in and stop companies using the area as an unofficial stopping point for HGVs and trailers.
Petition organiser Hayley Maher, who works as the marketing and communications manager at Keynetix Ltd, told the Standard as workers left or entered the site they had to inch around corners as they were unable to see if there was any oncoming traffic.
Some companies are reporting the sides of their buildings are being used as toilets by drivers, while others had approached them to ask them to move on and been ‘screamed and shouted at’.
“When you are trying to get out of any of the junctions there is no visibility and you have to edge out and slam on your brakes to avoid hitting another car. We have all had near misses and all seen near misses but nothing is happening about it.” she said.
“Every morning, lunchtime and evening I see near-misses of accidents and it will not be long before there is a fatal accident caused by these trailers being parked here. Sometimes there are two or three together without cabs.
“These companies are using these roads as car parks, they never leave lights on the edges of the vehicles and yet they leave them overnight. When contacting the companies or their drivers, their response is simply ‘it is a free road, we can do whatever we want’.”
Coun John Smith, responsible for highways on Worcestershire County Council, said he was happy to ask officers to look at the situation but it was difficult for them to get involved if there were no existing parking restrictions in place.
“If they are causing obstruction, blocking junctions etc then it is a police matter in the first instance.” he said.
Sgt Neil Billingham, from the Safer Neighbourhood Team, said they were aware of the problem and were dealing with issues reported to them.
“This problem is certainly not unique to this area and by working with all of the parties involved we are currently negotiating and educating rather than enforcing.”
