Mr. Alan WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the nature and the laden weight of the heavy loads notified to his Department which have created bottlenecks on the east-bound M4 on each of the last three Tuesdays; where the loads originated and terminated; how long they were on the M4 and at what speed they travelled; for what reasons they were not transported at night; who owns the loads; what costs associated with the escorts and delays are met by(a) the 554W transporter and (b) the owner; how many more similar loads are planned; what (i) warnings and (ii) advice were given to motorists by his Department on avoiding the delays; at what times future similar loads will be on the M4; and what assessment has been made of potential road damage. [2730]
§ Mr. NorrisThe loads in question are electrical generating equipment for a new power station at the National Power plc site at Didcot in Oxfordshire. The weights of the loads vary between 135.6 tonnes and 455 tonnes. They originated at Siemens factories in Germany and entered the United Kingdom at Avonmouth docks. Each load is timed to minimise both inconvenience to other road users and the overall cost to the project. The journeys from the docks to the power station site consist of two night-time moves and a day-time move conducted outside the peak traffic hours on the M4. The day-time movement is required because all other traffic has to be stopped when two particular bridges are traversed and the police rightly believe that this can be done safely only in hours of daylight. The loads are restricted to a maximum speed of 12 mph, but in practice the speed and therefore the time taken is limited by the gradients on the roads. A further 17 loads are planned over the next 11 months. They are required to be carried on multiple axle trailers to minimise the potential damage to roads and highways structures.
Contractual arrangements and costs are a matter between National Power plc as the customer and Siemens plc as the supplier; they, rather than public funds, have met the cost both of assessing structures on the route and the police escorting the loads.
I am satisfied that National Power and the police forces involved on the route have provided satisfactory advance notice including warnings broadcast on national and local radio, advertisements in local media, notification to the main road haulage and passenger transport groups and the provision of recorded information on a free telephone number-0800 241 504.
Changes between years largely reflect changes in the Government car service charges to recover the full economic cost of the service.