RENEWED calls are being made for a relief road around Barnard Castle after the town’s historic Market Cross was damaged by a large lorry.
A witness described the truck which struck the grade I-listed building on Wednesday last week as having a foreign number plate.
Durham County Council confirmed the damage had been reported.
Dave Wafer, the council’s strategic traffic manager, said: “We were made aware of damage to a corner of the roof yesterday, but have no further details of how this occurred. The area will be inspected and repairs undertaken in due course.”
County councillor Ted Henderson said the damage reinforced the need for a relief road around the town and it needed to be included in the County Durham Plan.
Currently, the county plan includes a “corridor of interest” where a relief road could be developed.
Cllr Henderson said: “We want more than that, especially now they are starting to research widening the A66 from end to end. We are pushing for a relief road which we all know Barnard Castle needs. If it isn’t in the County Plan it isn’t going to occur. Something has to be done.
“I only wish we could find the drivers and make them pay for the repairs because it is unfair on the residents of Barnard Castle and it is unfair on the council who have to come out and make the repairs.”
He said new road markings which directed trucks to take a wider berth around the Market Cross have worked as there had been fewer collisions, but foreign drivers and others unfamiliar with the town were still prone to taking the turn too narrowly.
Cllr Henderson also believes scrapes and knocks against the building are not the only problem caused by HGVs. He said: “I don’t think the vibrations of heavy vehicles going past the Market Cross are doing any of the historic buildings any good.”
