Shaken, rattled and ready to roll

Frustrated ... Gillian Harkins of the Oak House Hotel leads the crusade against earthshaking lorries along Beal Lane.

RATTLING headboards, shuddering windows and creaking furniture have left angry Shaw residents feeling like they live in an earthquake zone.

But the rumble is coming from lorries, travelling in an endless procession throughout the night down Beal Lane — and it’s making life a misery for locals.

At the end of her tether Gillian Harkins, owner of the Oak House Hotel, has now brought together an army of residents who can no longer bare the disruption.

After 33 years of success at her eight-bedroomed business, she says her livelihood is on the line.

She said: “It’s horrendous, my guests are saying they cannot sleep and the noise just keeps coming 24 hours a day.

“These massive wagons speed past us and make such a racket, it shouldn’t be allowed to happen.”

The group argue that potholes in the road make the traffic noisier as HGVs travel to and from the Shop Direct factory.

Some locals have had to wear ear plugs, replace windows and take sleeping tablets to block out the noise.

Tina Furness recently moved to one of the flats at the hotel after starting a new job there.

She said: “I’ve been sat crying in my bed and I’ve only had about three hours sleep each night.

“The bed is rattling, I can’t have the window open and it’s making me grumpy and irritable.

“I just want to pack my bags and go.”

Other residents on Beal Lane are also joining the campaign to see a reduction in traffic.

Raymond Fielding said: “This is a residential area and the noise is all during the early hours of the morning.

“Slates are falling off my roof and the whole house is shaking — it really is like living in an earthquake zone.”

A spokesperson for Shop Direct said the company make every attempt to be a good neighbour and all drivers are put through rigorous safety courses.

She said: “This ensures drivers reduce revving and over accelerating, and perform in a safe and responsible manner.

“We recently invested in a state of the art Transport Management System which allows us to view the driving style of each driver and address any issues.

“In addition, at night, music is switched-off and tannoy announcements are limited.”

Carol Brown, assistant executive director for Environment at Oldham Council, said that the road is included in the Council’s highways improvement programme and work is planned to start in the next few months.

She added: “The road will be resurfaced to a greater depth than at present which should reduce the road noise significantly.

“However, the Council is not able to control the number of Heavy Goods Vehicles which use this road to access to local businesses.”