A COUNCILLOR has hit out over construction vehicles working on the Florida Farm North site using residential areas.

Concerns have been expressed by residents over HGVs performing U-turns on Haydock Lane to make drop offs.

Permission for the controversial M6 Major development at the Florida Farm site was approved in January last year by St Helens Council's planning committee, despite strong resident opposition.

Cllr Martin Bond, of Haydock, said: “I am deeply concerned about the use of Haydock Lane by construction traffic for the M6 Major development.

"Under the developers' own routing statement, westbound traffic on the A580 delivering to the site must not use the south part of Haydock Lane to perform U-turns.

"Haydock Lane at this point is a residential area and there is a clear danger of large vehicles causing not only damage to property but also residents themselves.

"Residents in the immediate area will be affected, ad infinitum, by this development and the developers themselves will reap significant profits.

"It is incumbent upon them to stretch every sinew to minimise the disruption to local residents from the start. This needs to be nipped in the bud now."

Cllr Bond added: "I am calling for not only Bericote and their construction partners to take action now, but also the council and Highways England to place an immediate weight limit on Haydock Lane and put up signage forbidding HGVs from turning left from the Westbound A580.

"Additionally, any proposed use of Slag Lane from either entrance for construction traffic must be prohibited.

"The Lane is unable to cope with this type of vehicle, the residents would be severely affected by wagons queuing up from six in the morning on an unadopted lane that isn’t suitable and the public right of way would be destroyed possibly in perpetuity.”

The Residents Against the Florida Farm Developments action group has taken top social media to express strong concerns over the issue.

A St Helens Council spokesperson said: “The council can confirm that it has received a number of complaints regarding HGV manoeuvres on Haydock Lane - south of the A580 East Lancashire Road - given that on the existing traffic signal installation, there is currently no right turning facility into Haydock Lane, north of the A580, .

“The council has brought this matter to the attention of the developer who has taken this up with the contractors, and has assured the council that construction traffic will adhere to the requirements of the development’s planning conditions.

“Once the M6 Major (Florida Farm) development has been completed, a new traffic signalised junction will allow a right turning facility, thus preventing such current incidents from happening in the future.”

It is understood signs are in place directing vehicles away from the junction.