A lorry driver was attempting to deliver goods to Aldi in Ross-on-Wye on Friday, February 22nd, but was unable to because of the illegally parked drivers on Brookend Street blocking the road.

Opposite the car park entrance to Aldi, near the entrance to the Salon by Sarah G, two cars were parked on double yellow lines. When the Ross Gazette approached Sarah, who was working in her salon, she said that the lorry driver had already been waiting over an hour.

Due to the positioning of the cars parked on the double yellows, the lorry could not turn into Aldi or attempt to turn in the road to drive back out.

When Aldi constructed their new store in mid 2014, S278 works required the alteration of existing double yellow lines and limited waiting bays on the eastern side of Brookend Street to enable HGVs to access the store for deliveries.

Aldi’s contractors made the alterations to existing road markings without the necessary changes being made to the governing TROs. Approximately 15 metres of limited waiting parking bay was removed by Aldi’s contractors and replaced with double yellow lines directly opposite the access into the Aldi store to enable HGVs to manoeuvre into the Aldi Store.

By making these alterations, the whole length of the waiting and parking restrictions on the eastern side of Brookend Street between Station Road and Millpond Street were unlawful and unenforceable.

Plans to clarify the parking and waiting situation on Brookend Street were approved by Herefordshire Council in mid 2018. Currently, the double yellow lines are the legal road markings in force.

Sarah told the Ross Gazette: “The Aldi lorries are getting stuck there all the time, and there are people parking there every day. Where are the parking enforcement officers when you need them?”See this week’s paper for more stories like this, available in shops and as a Digital Edition now.