VILLAGERS are calling for a ban on non-local HGVs using England's steepest A-road, over mounting safety fears.

Residents in Sutton under Whitestonecliffe said lorries stranded on the three 1 in 4 gradient sections or the hairpin bend at nearby Sutton Bank, block the road for hours at a time, causing congestion outside their homes, damage to their property and diversions through villages not suited to high volume traffic.

A sign at the foot of the bank states there have been 132 blockages by HGVs over the last year, which villagers say is wasting hundreds of hours of police time.

A joint police, North Yorkshire County Council and Freight Transport Association report states that, on average, two goods vehicles a day experience up to four-hour delays ascending the bank.

Public meetings at the village hall to discuss the issue heard lorry drivers who realise they will not make it to the 298-metre high summit are forced to reverse for 1.8 miles before being able to turn off the A170 Thirsk to Scarborough road, often creating a road hazard.

Residents said while county council advice states HGVs stuck on the bank should not reverse unsupervised, they often did, adding that frustrated car drivers had knocked down walls and injured pets as they attempted to avoid congestion and reversing lorries.

The meeting was told lorries using the route had risen in number since the issue was debated in 1983, when it had been decided to ban caravans, and in 2004, when a flashing "low gear" sign was installed.

A residents' group that has monitored the bank for two years said caravan drivers still regularly ignored the ban, while others said the nature of the nearby land made the creation of a turning circle unlikely.

Nick Dodds, a haulier based near the village, told he meeting he did not want a lorry ban, as it would mean lengthy diversions for truckers delivering to the coast or towns and villages south of the North York Moors, and called for alternative solutions to be considered.

After hearing farmers' and hauliers' concerns, parish council chairman Caroline Artingstoll said it would apply to the county council for a traffic regulation order to stop non-local vehicles using the bank and said an e-petition had been launched at petitions24.com.

She said it was hoped HGVs could be given directions to use other A-roads, such as the A64.

Cllr Artingstoll said: "Enough becomes enough and one stage and we have to put our foot down.

"The county council really has done nothing and it is not really interested.

"It is going to be a bit of an uphill struggle, but we are prepared for that."

County Councillor Gareth Dadd said speculation about the parish council calling for an outright ban on lorries on the bank had raised concerns in surrounding villages.

He added: "Anything that would make life better for the people of Sutton under Whitestonecliffe, and can be achieved, I would most definitely support and I await their thoughts and recommendations."