NANTWICH Road residents say they are fed up of lorries getting trapped under the canal bridge near their homes.

The street had to be closed both ways last Monday when a HGV jackknifed under the bridge.

This caused tailbacks between Middlewich and Crewe due to recovery work between Clivegreen Lane and St Ann's Road.

Karen Mason, of Nantwich Road, said: “The police have got better things to do than stand around for hours waiting for HGVs to be freed from whatever predicament their drivers have placed themselves in.

“This is the main road to Leighton Hospital and it can be no small consequence that ambulances and other emergency vehicles have to be diverted from their quickest possible route.”

Joan Edwards, of nearby Lindisfarne Close, added: “Apparently, the lorry was travelling down Nantwich Road into Middlewich when driver realised he could not get under the bridge.

“He attempted to turn round by Manor Lodge and got the rear of his trailer in the hedge and the cab up against a tree.

“Part of the tractor unit dropped into the ground at the front of the garden and the recovery vehicle had to put a chain around the tree to pull the lorry out of the hole it had caused.

“The road was closed for approximately four hours.”

Residents estimate that incidents like this happen around twice a week because many lorry drivers either ignore or do not see the warning signs which state that the bridge has an 11ft 6in height limit.

At best, this causes damage to the road and people’s properties as the HGVs struggle to turn around.

At worst, the vehicles – and people living nearby – can be trapped for several hours.

Ms Mason added: “Once again a lorry has caused utter chaos by not bothering to read the signs.

“According to the council it is not a big problem. I can assure them - it is.

“There are a lot who get away with scraping their way through the bridge or damaging people’s property in their escape.

“When will the council do something to inform all the drivers who rely on their sat navs and not the roadside signs?”

A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council said: “Whilst there are a number of warning signs within the Cheshire East Council area, management and control of traffic approaching Middlewich along Nantwich Road from the South is substantially the responsibility of Cheshire West and Chester Council who also maintain a system of appropriate warning signs.

“Here at Cheshire East Council, considerable effort has been applied over a period of years to progressively improve the warning signs on the approaches to the British Waterways Board aqueduct on Nantwich Road, when approaching from Middlewich.

“A scheme of review, renewal and replacement of the warning signs on the A54 gyratory system was recently carried out.

“The approach to Nantwich Road from Middlewich now has the benefit of an extensive array of standard warning signs supplemented by an interactive warning sign triggered by sensors that detect if vehicle is too high.