Residents near the Port of Felixstowe say illegally parked lorries leave litter and human waste and disrupt sleep. East Suffolk Council says patrols, including out of hours, will begin once additional signs are installed in an area covered by a Public Space Protection Order.
The order covers an area from Viewpoint to Cliff Road near the port. It prohibits dangerous or anti-social driving, excessive noise and emissions, nuisance congregation, and alcohol or drug use. Signs warn that environmental damage or misuse of public spaces could bring a fixed penalty of up to £1,000.
The Port of Felixstowe says it has toilets, bins and two canteens; a nearby truck stop holds 50 lorries. Resident Andy Damant said toilets were a five-minute walk away, bins under 100m away and a lorry park under 400m away. Here All Day’s Andrew Proctor says more local parking and facilities are needed; he suggested feeling undervalued and long periods away from home could affect drivers’ mental health, and that feeling low may contribute to littering. ONS data put truck drivers’ 2011–15 suicide rate 20% above the England and Wales average of about 12 deaths per 100,000 people annually.
