Concern over HS2 construction traffic near Market Drayton

The company behind the high speed railway said the majority of construction HGVs will be travelling from the A51 and turning onto the A525 at Woore, near Market Drayton.

The construction traffic will be using the routes from 8am until 6pm weekdays and 8am until 1pm on Saturday.

Market Drayton town councillors have voiced concerns about the impact construction traffic will have on the area.

Councillor Roy Aldcroft said: "HS2 will be running supplies up the A53 and onto the A41. Those lorries will join commuters from our town and also the other traffic - such as Muller lorries. This is a big concern for the area."

Councillor Roger Hughes said: "I think we should write to Shropshire Council, Stafford Council and HS2 to find out what measures have been taken to minimise the impact.

"These wagons will be impacting on the residents around us and we have never been consulted.

"If they use the Tern Hill cross roads - that already has huge queues and large volumes of traffic use the route. There would need to be changes to that roundabout so it became a two lane approach."

North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson, Shropshire Council chiefs and representatives from the high speed rail scheme will be attending a public meeting later this month.

It will take place at Woore Victory Hall on August 11 at 7pm.

The meeting comes after it was revealed this week that more than 500 lorries will pass through Woore near Market Drayton every day during the peak construction phase of HS2.

A spokesman for HS2 said: “The peak of the construction activity will generate daily construction traffic flows of 274 HGVs northbound and 274 HGVs southbound on A51 London Road from A53 Newcastle Road to A525 Bar Hill.

“However the duration of this peak is proposed to be for two months with construction traffic flows reducing substantially outside of these two months for the remainder of the construction period.”

A consultation on the plans will run until September 30.