As we all know there are very few towns now that provide overnight lorry parking, to what there used to be,when there was a park in nearly every major town. The few parks that are left could go the same way unless a minority among us get their act together. what Im on about is the mess left behind,even when bins are provided, are these tossers to idle to walk a few yards to a bin.Then theres the phantom crapper who leaves a brown DNA sample under his trailer for some poor sod to ruin his best Timberlands the next morning,If youre that desperate pal,use an Asda bag for Christs sake and bin it. No wonder the public think we,re ■■■■■■ and peasants, they dont need an excuse to hate us as it is, so dont give them more ammo to fire at us. 
Rant over, I think I need a rest. Now wheres the Asda bag 
the local councils can find money for a shiny new park and ride but not a similar facility for HGV’s! all they need is a toilet block and an attendant to look after the place/ take money and everyone is happy. park and ride during the day, HGV park at night… simples. they already do it in Cardiff ( i think!), maybe other councils could do the same.
breathes, gets off soap box, mops brow
I totally agree, in Birmingham there is one off the A45 at tyseley and to be frank you would be better off parking outside ‘the islamic relief centre’ in BASRA. I would not tell anyone to park there…
A lot off lorries used to park at Minworth [a38] till the local crimms thought they were Jessie James and hijacking ‘freight’ lorries.
Timmo I have just finished 3 months work up your way, Marlborough close by the school ,putting in new electric cable hope we never slowed you down.!
It would be a good idea if most town councils could follow the example of Leominster.
Just in the town there is a truckpark behind the fire station.
Only 5 or 6 official truck spaces during the day but at night you can park anywhere on the car park.
NO CHARGE
5 automatic toilets on site, spotlessly clean last time I went.
Chinese / English take-away 100 yds
English chipshop style cafe 500yds
at least 3 or 4 pubs within staggering distance.
Totally agree with OP about the carrier bags…we all get caught short at times but lets show a bit of respect for our fellow human beings…even if they do drive Audis
mucksavaga:
Timmo I have just finished 3 months work up your way, Marlborough close by the school ,putting in new electric cable hope we never slowed you down.!
i couldn’t get much slower anyway 
toowise:
It would be a good idea if most town councils could follow the example of Leominster.
Ditto Abergavenney. Dedicated HGV parking area by the bus station, decent toilets too though I think they’re locked after a cetain time. Builth Wells is good too.
Some years ago when doing Scotland regularly for Owens, I noticed that virtually every large village and small town had a lorry park of sorts, usually on the outskirts but within a few minutes walk of the pub/chippy etc.
I can understand locals who don’t want a full-blown lorry park next door, but they don’t seem to realise that we would use local businesses which in many parts is a welcome boost off-season. Classic example is Bury St. Edmunds; some years ago we could park on the cattle market and go into town for a meal and a pint, gets you out of your cab for a bit which can only be a good thing health-wise. Now we’re stuck out in the middle of nowhere; I know there are reasonable facilities there but it’s not the same thing.
Yep, you could park in almost every town centre at 1 time!
Rugby & Cheltenham used to be good, Leith docks or the road to Ibrox in Glasgow 
gnasty gnome:
I can understand locals who don’t want a full-blown lorry park next door, but they don’t seem to realise that we would use local businesses which in many parts is a welcome boost off-season. Classic example is Bury St. Edmunds; some years ago we could park on the cattle market and go into town for a meal and a pint, gets you out of your cab for a bit which can only be a good thing health-wise. Now we’re stuck out in the middle of nowhere; I know there are reasonable facilities there but it’s not the same thing.
People don’t think like that, most of them aren’t worried about local businessess anyway that’s why they’ll drive miles to the nearest tesburysonsda. and they defiently don’t want a load smelly trucks trucks parking on thier door step everynight. Lowers the tone of the neighbourhood don’t you know, think about the house prices and road safety , despite the fact that johnny and his mates are screaming about and down the road all night in thier Saxo’s.
Also any spare space in a town with decent and size access for trucks is ideal for the like of tesburysonsda’s to put up a shop. The problem is the same goes for any land on the side of a major trunk route or industrial estate. It always worth more as warehousing or a superstore than to park trucks and even when suitible land is found and even the Police are behind a scheme for a truck stop councils reject it due to local opposition.
It’s typical of the NIMBYs that get planning applications refused that then complain about trucks parking everywhere. There is a reason why I’m quite happy to work day shifts and go home every day. I’ve seen all the motors parked up at the side of the road on industrial estates or in laybys in the middle of nowhwere. No thanks, I’m sure tramping was great back in the day but here and now, you can keep it.
[quote=“gnasty gnome”
Some years ago when doing Scotland regularly for Owens, I noticed that virtually every large village and small town had a lorry park of sorts, usually on the outskirts but within a few minutes walk of the pub/chippy etc.
.[/quote]
Langholm and Hawick in the Borders region come to mind.
Both got small lorry parking areas with toilets. Unfortunately both sets of loos are closed at night FFS. What do they think that we dont need to go at night. Apart from that they are within walking distance of chippys, pubs etc.
On a side note how difficult is it to get a Radar key to use the disabled toilets. Should HGV drivers be issued with one of these keys with their licence ■■?
gnasty gnome:
I can understand locals who don’t want a full-blown lorry park next door, but they don’t seem to realise that we would use local businesses which in many parts is a welcome boost off-season. Classic example is Bury St. Edmunds; some years ago we could park on the cattle market and go into town for a meal and a pint, gets you out of your cab for a bit which can only be a good thing health-wise. Now we’re stuck out in the middle of nowhere; I know there are reasonable facilities there but it’s not the same thing.
I blame the supermarkets for everything, they buy up land from cash strapped councils and pretend to create 300 jobs, they probably do, but they are part time jobs and probably cost 30 full time jobs. Supermarkets increase the heavy traffic on the roads with JIT deliveries and booking slots that they do not stick to.
Every town in the country used to have a cattle market / leisure centre car park that was utilised by the lorryist, most had at least one unlocked working toilet. Remember the good nights out in Stamford, Derby and Uttoxeter etc.
Tadcaster had a busy lorry park that was then closed to trucks, because of the nimby locals, and the locals then complained the empty site was being used as a racetrack by the local yoofs.
As Gnasty Gnome said, all the places brought trade to local businesses, maybe now, because of all the cab rats refusing to get out of the cab and watch TV all evening behind pretty closed curtains, the local businesses have suffered in more ways then one. The butchers have closed because the market has closed, and they cannot compete with the supermarkets who moved onto the subsidised land.
I have suggested before, if a council gives a supermarket planning permission, it should also force them to provide some overnight parking spaces for the trucks that deliver to them.
We have one in Driffield. Placed right in the middle of the town behind all the shops so its a 30 second walk to food etc.
Only problem is that the roundabouts on the bypass have those black HGV route signs directing round the bypass and there’s only one realistic way into it with a corner so tight you need to take up the whole of the road and virtually be scraping house walls with the trailer headboard to get in.
The germans have it right,good spotless msa,s with good food and facilitys,free parking.Autohofs are excellent good food spotless showers and toi’ets,shops,ok some charge now due to eastern bloc brigade taking parking space and not spending anything but your parking fee comes off the price of your meal.Alternatively when ive been stuck;[time wise or too late to del till morning]at customers premises i was always allowed to park up,directed to all facilitys[showers,drinks,nearest restaurant]no probs.In other words treated as a human being.
regards dave.