Disclosure Log

Lorry Watch scheme and environmental weight limit enforcement (FOI/5865)

Message from Nottinghamshire County Council - 11 June 2025

Dear *****

Provision of requested information – Ref: FOI/00005865

Thank you for your request for information about our lorry watch scheme and environmental weight limit enforcement, which we received on 21 May 2025.  Your request has been considered under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (EIR).

The information you requested is:

a) how many "Lorry Watch" reports (ie about suspected Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) abuse of highways with Environmental Weight Limit restrictions), in electronic, postal or telephone call format, did Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) receive relating to weight restricted roads in and around the Town of Southwell in the 12 month period 1/4/24 to 31/3/25 inclusive, - 88

b) of the number at a), a breakdown showing how many cases were taken up with the established Owners/Operators of the vehicles via -
- (i) letter(s) sent by NCC (or Agent) by post to Owners/Operators, - 74
- (ii) through email(s) sent by NCC (or Agent) to Owners/Operators, - 0 - Initial contact is always by post
(I understand from previous correspondence that NCC Officials do not visit the premises of Owners/Operators for the purpose of such checking, though please say in the response if this policy has changed and give the number visited if now appropriate), - There has been no change to the approach stated in your email.

c) a breakdown explaining -
- (i) any difference between the total number reported (ie response to a)) and the number contacted (ie total produced via responses b (i) and (ii), plus visits if effected), - 88 Vehicles were reported from which 74 letters sent, 11 of the 88 involved incorrect recording of the VRM thus resulting in no record being found on DVLA Database thus recorded as “No Trace” (see table answering C (ii) below, and the remaining 3 of the 88 were found to have legitimate access.
- (ii) in (possible) connection with i) above, for each vehicle registration mark (vrm) searched but found to be invalid - 
- the date of sighting cited in the relevant report to NCC,
- each note included in NCC records to explain/substantiate each "invalid vrm", eg "vehicle sold/not re-registered", "incorrect vehicle registration mark", "Operator moved from premises",
Date of sightingNCC Record
08/04/2024No Trace
24/04/2024No Trace
26/04/2024No Trace
30/04/2024No Trace
17/05/2024No Trace
22/05/2024No Trace
22/05/2024No Trace
12/06/2024No Trace
13/06/2024No Trace
24/06/2024No Trace
27/06/2024No Trace
- (iii) how many of those found to be without valid reason for using the restricted route were formally issued with warning letters, - 2
- (iv) how many of those found to be without valid reason for using the restricted route were prosecuted or are in the process of being prosecuted, - Nil

d) (i) on how many occasions during this period (1/4/24 - 31/3/25 inc) NCC Officials and/or authorised Agent(s) carried out HGV monitoring exercises in and around the Town of Southwell (say within a five mile radius centred on Southwell Minster), - Nil
- (ii) the date, duration(s) (in hours and minutes) and highways patrolled (by classification and/or name eg "C Unnumbered Upton Road", "Oxton Road") of each such occasion. For the avoidance of doubt, I request date and duration information to be linked, please, whilst a separate "random" list of highways patrolled will suffice (thereby safeguarding the Council"s previously-claimed need to be be able to operate "covertly" and which, following a previous similar FOI request/response and referral to ICO, I chose not to Appeal), - N/A
- (iii) the results of any such exercise(s) ie total cases of HGVs spotted per occasion, total cases of HGVs overall (ie totalling numbers for each occasion) and the overall total broken down in the terms of b)(i) and (ii) and c(i) - (iv) inc above, - N/A

e) (i) the total number of cases for the County of Nottinghamshire during the period 1/4/24 - 31/3/25 inc ie generated through reporting via the Lorry Watch system plus those identified via NCC and/or Agent monitoring exercises, - 676
- (ii) how many of these County-wide cases without valid reason for using the restricted route were formally issued with warning letters, - 155
- (iii) how many of these County-wide cases without valid reason for using the restricted route were prosecuted or are in the process of being prosecuted. - Nil

Your privacy: we use your personal information such as name and address so that we can comply with our legal obligations to respond to EIR requests.  For further details about the use of information about you, please see the information handling privacy notice on our website at https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/media/4323566/informationgovernanceandinformationrightsprivacynotice.pdf.

If you are unhappy with the way the authority has handled your request you may ask for an internal review.  Please contact: Complaints and Information – Team Manager, Nottinghamshire County Council, County Hall, Loughborough Road, West Bridgford, NOTTINGHAM, NG2 7QP or [email protected], who will arrange an internal review of your case.

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision.  The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, WILMSLOW, SK9 5AF or https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/foi-and-eir-complaints/.

If you have any queries about this email, please contact me.

Yours sincerely

Colin Sawers (He/Him)
Information Case Officer | Customers, Complaints and Information
Chief Executive"s Department | Nottinghamshire County Council
County Hall | Loughborough Road | West Bridgford | NOTTINGHAM | NG2 7QP
Tel: (0115) 977 3714