A FAMILY became trapped in their homes after a cement mixer blocked a narrow lane near Berkeley.
The vehicle, reportedly fully loaded and supplying a solar farm development, veered off the road, getting stuck in the soft verge, around 1.30pm on Thursday, February 5.
It was recovered at about 11 o’clock this morning, Friday, after approximately 22 hours of World’s End Lane being impassable to vehicular traffic.
Tony Costello, plus his wife and daughter live at a nearby cottage, said they could not leave their homes by car and felt ‘imprisoned’ at their address.
He added that this serves a ‘stark warning’ amid other planned developments in the area.
Tony said: “We were effectively imprisoned at our home address.
“This may be of interest to the wider community and serve as a stark warning of the likelihood of similar disruption and inconvenience to residents unfortunate enough to suffer the consequences of other planned developments in this area.”
The solar farm being supplied by the truck is linked to British Solar Renewables (BSR), a Somerset-based company.
British Solar Renewables was granted permission in 2023 to cover almost 160 acres of fields west of World’s End Farm in Clapton near Berkeley with ground mounted photovoltaic panels.
The 50 megawatt solar panel installation, which will be allowed to be there for 45 years, can power up to 12,500 homes and save more than 11,702 tonnes of CO2 emission per year.
The site was chosen due to its ease of connectivity to the power grid which has led to the proliferation of similar planning applications in the area.
David Lacey, director of construction at British Solar Renewables said:“We are very sorry for the disruption experienced by residents on Worlds End Lane following this incident.
“The vehicle involved was operated by a third-party contractor delivering materials to the site and became stuck after the verge gave way, temporarily blocking the lane.
“Recovery required specialist equipment and was carried out as quickly and safely as possible.
“We are reviewing the incident with our contractors, strengthening traffic management arrangements, and will continue to engage closely with local residents to minimise disruption throughout construction.”
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