The Town Team is campaigning for signs to warn lorry drivers of the weight restrictions in Sandwich.

Carole George, secretary of the Town Team, claims many drivers come from the Deal to Sandwich roundabout and down New Street along the one-way system.

She said this was the case with the lorry that became stuck in Strand Street for 15 hours last week.

She said: “There are no lorry signs if you come into Sandwich from the roundabout, which is the journey that the driver took otherwise he couldn’t have been in New Street and the one way system.

“The lorry had not entered the town via any bridges so why did KCC say that the lorry could not travel on the bridge again and that they needed to check to for damage from this incident?

“The law states that there is a weight restriction of 7.5 ton on the two bridges. This is correct however the roads in Sandwich have no weight restriction, an issue we are currently fighting, therefore the driver had not broken any traffic laws.”

She said the Lorry Watch scheme highlighted that every 14 minutes a vehicle exceeding 7.5 tons enters the town centre and yet there are still no signs to warn them.

She said: “Does no one appreciate the anxiety felt by residents as they watch the possible damage to their property and wonder how safe it is to sit inside their homes?

“Given the number of times problems like this occur and the police have to attend the scene, this is clearly a complete waste of police time and money, especially given their own budgetary constraints.”

She said last September the Town Team worked with Sandwich Town Council and county councillor Leyland Ridings as well as KCC to reach an agreement on proper signage to be erected on the perimeter roads.

She said: “This is under way however it has now been six months since this was agreed and we understand that although financing this accounted for a small amount, there are delays due to budget constraints.”

Until this is completed, Mrs George said the problems will continue and residents left wondering who pays for the damage to their homes.

Leader of Ukip and prospective parliamentary candidate for South Thanet, Nigel Farage said: “I have got some very bad news on that actually, that it could get a lot worse.

“Don’t forget Britain doesn’t regulate lorries, all of that is done in Brussels to a European standard.

“This is one of those areas where the British government doesn’t have very much say but I have deep sympathy for people who are suffering already.

“But what can I do about it, what can we do about it, all the while we are stuck as part of the European Union?

“I want us to get out of the European Union and as far as lorries are concerned we will make every foreign lorry buy a Brit Disc.

“The Brit Disc for lorries is going to be quite an important part of what we are going to be saying.”

Mrs George said a lot of people believed it was just foreign lorry drivers that entered the town and caused problems, but she claims it is just as likely to be a British driver.