Government plans to provide more parking in response to the DfT’s National Lorry Parking Survey does not “go far enough”, the Road Haulage Association has said.

The study concludes that the “lorry parking situation has got more acute” as, despite a 36% increase in HGVs parked up overnight in England since 2010, parking spaces have only risen by 14%.

RHA’s chief executive Richard Burnett (pictured) said: “We need more than vague projections of how many lorry parking spaces they might be able to create in the future. This needs to be addressed right now. Operators of existing sites but have their hands tied by planning regulations.

“We need to see an immediate commitment from government and local authorities to build more and better parking facilities, and not throw away solutions as seen last year at Stanford West in Kent.”

The Government has announced Highways England is looking at sites with the potential to be developed into lorry parks which they say could mean up to 1,500 more spaces.

Burnett said: “If border checks are put in place, Kent will be plunged into chaos once again. Truckers stuck in traffic and coming up to the end of their legal hours have to find somewhere to park – a lay-by or even the nearest town – it’s a situation no-one wants to see.

“But this is the consequence of Government inaction over a vital facility which will inevitably again leave hauliers, businesses and the people of Kent counting the cost.”