A PARTIAL ban on heavy goods vehicles travelling through rural parts of north Essex should be enforced when the new A120 is built, it is claimed.

Ross Playle - a close ally of Home Secretary Priti Patel - has joined the campaign to stop non-essential HGVs travelling through villages along the A12 corridor to cut journey times.

The ban would mean only HGVs needing to travel to specific villages could use rural roads.

Mr Playle, who is the Conservative candidate for Witham North in next year’s county council elections, says the partial ban would be possible when the new A120 is built.

It is hoped the new road, which would run from junction 23 of the A12 at Kelvedon up to Galleys Corner in Braintree, will reduce journey times and congestion.

Mr Playle said: “A lot of the lorries are simply using villages as a cut-through to avoid going the long way round. It causes congestion but it’s also unpleasant for the people who have these large vehicles going past their homes.

“Some have told me they can’t sell their homes because of the problem.

“The new A120 would be a ready made solution to all of this. It would provide a quicker and more direct link between the A12 and A120. But banning non-essential HGV traffic would also make life a lot more peaceful for villagers.”

Kelvedon district councillor Paul Thorogood is also supportive of a partial ban on HGVs in rural spots.

He said: “This is something I have been campaigning for since I was elected last year and we really need it in our villages.

“It’s not just about stopping lorries coming off the A12, but also cutting through from Tiptree and Coggeshall.

“It causes a lot of traffic problems in Kelvedon High Street and a lot of the buildings rattle when these huge lorries go past. I know a lot of people in Kelvedon and Feering would support it.”

“It’s not just the traffic people are worried about, it’s also the pollution the HGV’s cause.”

Funding for the new A120 will not be available until at least 2025.