A Labour candidate has called for urgent action to enforce the lorry ban in Upper Hale – before someone gets hurt.

Though signage was put in place last year, Farnham Heath End hopeful Andrew Jones says, the authorities have done nothing to enforce the ban. 

“We were told the ban would be enforceable from June 2021,” said Mr Jones.

“But the police are reluctant to get involved as they would have to prove beyond reasonable doubt an offence had taken place. 

“Surrey County Council could issue penalty charge notices but they would need camera evidence. 

“But guess what? They still haven’t installed any cameras and even if they did, they haven’t adopted a policy which would permit them to use them.  

“It’s all talk and no action.  

“Even if they started today, the earliest residents could expect relief from this continued flouting of the ban would be this summer.”

Campaigners are calling on Surrey County Council to accelerate the process by turning the government guidance into their own policy, which they say should be a relatively simple matter.

Mr Jones says: “The longer Surrey County Council takes sorting out the policy, the more pointless the signs seem, and the more disruption and danger local people experience. 

“I’m urging them to get on with installing the cameras. We need urgent action now.”

Enforcement of the HGV ban in Upper Hale Road and Castle Street, which first came into force in late spring 2021, was raised at the Farnham Infrastructure Programme's March board meeting.

Councillor Catherine Powell, the county councillor for Farnham North, raised that she is still getting significant feedback from HGV operators about the lack of signage advertising the ban on the M3, and called for Surrey County Council's programme team to press their counterparts in Hampshire for action.

Cllr Peter Clark, who is standing for re-election as the Farnham Residents councillor for Rowledge, has also called for more signage on the A3.