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

Residents in Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe, near Thirsk, say 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.

They claim they cause congestion outside their homes, damage to their property and diversions through villages unsuited 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, 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.

A public meeting 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.

However a haulier based near the village, Nick Dodds, said 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.

But the parish council is now applying for a traffic regulation order to stop non-local vehicles using the bank and an e-petition has been launched at petitions24.com.

Parish council chairman Caroline Artingstoll said it was hoped HGVs could be given directions to use other A-roads, such as the A64.

"Enough becomes enough and we have to put our foot down,” she said.

"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."