A TEIGNMOUTH councillor has called for weight restrictions on lorries in the town centre, because of the thousands of pounds worth of damage regularly caused by large articulated delivery vehicles.

Cllr Geoff Bladon said that an out-of-town transhipment depot should be set up, perhaps at the Heathfield Industrial Estate near Newton Abbot.

'It is outrageous that huge lorries are still coming into Teignmouth's narrow streets,' he said. 'What we need is what ex-councillor Don Tracey used to campaign for, a transhipment depot where loads could be transferred from larger vehicles to smaller ones.'

Cllr Bladon made his remarks after yet another recent incident in which an articulated lorry inflicted £2,000 worth of damage to a businessman's car in the town centre.

Rob Smith, of the Nautilus Seafood Restaurant, had parked his car legally in a bay in Brunswick Street, near Swanson's Motor Company.

'I came out of the restaurant and saw a lorry going by, and thought "that's a bit close". It then went right down the side of the car, from back to front, without the driver realising what he'd done,' said Mr Smith. 'The tail lift popped the offside front tyre, and the kerb popped the nearside.

'The lorry then picked up the car and dragged it out of the bay, with the tail lift getting stuck on the car. They really should not be driving these lorries through town.'

Late last year a similar incident occurred in the same street, when an articulated lorry caused £1,000 damage to a car belonging to Stephen Chant, of Swanson's garage.

'The back of a lorry caught the side of the car, and although it was all settled through insurance, these lorries can cause chaos in town,' said Mr Chant. 'They're too big, basically.'

Town clerk, David Tickell, confirmed that articulated lorries also regularly damaged trees, hanging baskets, columns and pavements.

'What would happen if it were a pedestrian in the way?' he asked. 'The town centre management partnership has tried for a reduced weight limit, and would prefer rigid vehicles to articulated lorries. 'But although we were fairly optimistic, there were objections from the freight haulage operators.'

Mr Tickell said that the vehicles should suit the town, rather than alter the town to suit the vehicles.

Geoff Dossetter, of the Freight Transport Association, said that he 'could not defend the indefensible'.

He said that Teignmouth quite clearly had a genuine problem, and it was completely unacceptable to damage towns and property.

'But how do you service shops without upsetting local residents and damaging property? We can't yet beam the stuff up, and everything has to be delivered,' he said. ' Would the public like their shop shelves to be empty? Everybody wants the goods, and not the vehicles.'

Mr Dossetter dismissed the transhipment solution, because it would put up costs and generate extra traffic movements, perhaps leading to four or five lorries on the road for every one previously.

'Retailers and town authorities need to get together,' he said. 'Perhaps a freight quality partnership is the answer – there are around 50 in the country. But the one sure way to close down a town is to have empty shops.'