Concerns have been raised by residents of Harrowgate Farm as to the traffic flow along Burtree Lane, in particular Heavy Goods Vehicles. Issues raised were the noise and vibrations caused by their weight and it is felt that this is inappropriate for an area that is residential. On occassions lorries have been observed travelling above the 30mph speed limit and fears have been raised that the consequences of a crash would be very serious for a household.

We sent these concerns to our highways department and received a very speedy response to the issue for which we thank those officers involved.

"I appreciate the comments about the traffic flow on Burtree Lane, but I am sure in the coming months there will be a noticeable difference in numbers and the classification of vehicles using the road.

It is our intention to permanently close Burtree Lane crossover in the not to distant future, to address an accident problem, and I am certain that this measure will reduce the traffic flow on Burtree Lane.
Northbound A68 traffic wishing to turn right into Burtree Lane will have to travel north via Swan House Roundabout and this could encourage motorists to seek an alternative route.
As part of a local safety scheme, we have also recently removed destinations on the Burtree Lane leg of the advance signs on the A68 southbound and we have also removed an old 'A66 Teesside' flag direction sign, outside Burtree Caravans, to discourage the use of Burtree Lane as a short cut to non-regular users.

I don't believe a weight restriction on this road is necessary or suitable and if the road were to be 'closed off to all HGV's', this will obviously stop all large servicing vehicles from entering the estate, which is obviously out of the question. I would also need to consult Durham Constabulary on this matter and it is highly unlikely that the Police would support such a proposal here.

Turning now to the speeding issue, I will arrange for a seven day speed survey to be undertaken as soon as possible, and should the speeds be excessive I will contact Durham Constabulary to ask to have the 30mph speed limit enforced. I will forward the results of the survey to you.

Thank you for raising this issue"

We will publish the results of the survey on our web site.