LGV movements upset Oxted residents

Residents in the Surrey village of Oxted are considering legal action to ban truck movements in and out of a local quarry on the grounds that the traffic breaches their human rights. At a public meeting residents suggested this may be the only way to reduce the number of trucks run by Southern Gravel Ltd (SGL), which operates a quarry in the village.

The operator has permission to extract 18,000 tonnes of chalk from the quarry a year last year the Environment Agency granted SGL a licence to infill 100,000 tonnes a year of clean soil and natural materials. In his 'Leader's Diary' on the council website, SCC leader Nick Skellett says: "This summer has seen a sudden increase in HGV movements to and from the quarry in Chalkpit Lane, Oxted.

"This volume of quarry traffic (reported as over 80 trucks coming in on some days) has not previously been experienced by residents living in the narrow lanes leading to the quarry. Access is already difficult and the congestion has led to confrontation with residents. "There are few footways and the large HGVs cannot pass each other."

Neither Surrey County Council nor SGL was able to comment on the dispute as CM went to press.