Villagers may be asked to help in HGV crackdown

Residents across Wiltshire could soon be enlisted to help tackle heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) ignoring 7.5-tonne weight restrictions by sending in video evidence.

Members of the Wiltshire Police and Crime Panel are creating the new community-led approach with Wiltshire Council, and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), with support from Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson.

Weight restrictions are designed to protect villages, communities and rural roads from heavy goods vehicles using unsuitable routes.

Council panel members will discuss implementation plans when they meet at County Hall on 1 October.

Reports would need to show the vehicle registration number, the location of the alleged breach, and the relevant restriction signage, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has said.

Wiltshire Police would then record the operator involved and pass details to the DVSA.

Repeat reports involving the same operator would be highlighted, helping the agency identify potential patterns of non-compliance.

The scheme would not lead directly to fines being issued from submitted footage alone, organisers said.

Instead, it was intended to build intelligence about operators repeatedly suspected of breaching restrictions, while helping police target enforcement efforts at the worst offenders, they added.

The DVSA confirmed it was willing to receive referrals from Wiltshire Police and use its existing relationships with operators to raise concerns about alleged breaches and potential consequences of continued offending.

The new system is currently undergoing data protection and governance checks, with publication of the reporting arrangements on the Wiltshire Police website planned ahead of a formal launch in October.

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