It appears our local and only secure parking in Suffolk is under threat. Orwell Crossing Lorry Park on the A14 near Felixstowe has long been known to be a quality stopover for exhausted drivers.
However, since it opened 10 years ago it has lost £1m and now the family owned business is close to running out of cash. With no assistance from the bank (no surprise there then), the outlook doesn’t look good.
Capacity ran at a steady 60% but of recent has plunged as hauliers cut back on paid stops. Together with the unwillingness of local police to tackle illegally parked lorries in lay-bys the park is now looking at their options.
One possibility is to restrict opening hours to cater only for the drivers using it for overnight stops.
In the meantime a local police spokeswoman has stated that a campaign to target unlit lorries parked on the A14 is pending, further stating “there are a number of things they have to sort out before going ahead”.
It would be nice if they would hurry up as there are over 100 unused spaces most nights. We wholeheartedly support the Orwell Crossing Lorry Park and will continue to direct drivers there for safety and services as long as it’s still here.
Go to www.orwellcrossing.com to discover this fabulous lorry park.