A controversial clamping trial stopping lorry drivers from parking illegally in Ashford has started.

Council officials were joined by police officers last night to launch the 18-month scheme, which prevents HGV drivers from parking between Charing and the Drovers roundabout.

It follows numerous complaints from residents concerned about drivers pulling up close to homes and junctions.

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In total, 11 lorries were clamped on the A20 last night in laybys at Hothfield and next to the Hare and Hounds pub at the junction with Sandyhurst Lane.

Ashford Borough Council’s parking manager James Hann said: "This is about making a cultural change when it comes to lorry parking.

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"There are spaces in the truckstops the drivers could use, and we need to show we don't want them parking on the A20.

"We have to have the ability to be able to clamp otherwise we would be a toothless tiger, so it is an important new trial."

The ban runs from 8pm to 7am the following day – and drivers have to pay a £250 fine to get the clamp released.

An overnight waiting restriction is also in force on the Ashford Business Park and Orbital Park in Sevington, as well as at Ellingham Industrial Estate and Wotton Road.

Eleven lorries were clamped on the Orbital Park last night, five on Ashford Business Park and two on the Ellingham Industrial Estate.

No HGVs were penalised in Wotton Road as the stretch was shut for repairs.

The scheme, which is the first of its kind in the UK, is being run by Kent County Council and Ashford Borough Council.

Angry lorry driver Mason Stephens, of Bentley Road, Ashford, previously said the scheme was “another nail in the coffin” for the country’s haulage industry.

For a full report on the start of the lorry clamping trial, see this week's Kentish Express, out Thursday