The vehicle, which was attempting to turn left out of Station Road into Friars Street, took a chunk out of the wooden façade over the door of the Nanook shop situated on the corner.
The incident on Monday has emphasised the need for a Sudbury bypass according to South Suffolk MP James Cartlidge, who has pledged to help solve the issue of HGVs cutting through the town’s narrow historic streets.
Ray Edwards, owner of the Thai Pavilion restaurant in Friars Street and landlord of the damaged building, said it would cost several thousand pounds to put right.
He also has “grave concerns” about the safety of pedestrians and drivers using Friars Street.
“I can’t believe the building has been hit for the second time in sixth months and the damage is quite extensive,” Mr Edwards said.
“Aside from this there is also an issue with blue badge holders parking just around that corner in Friars Street, which narrows the road even further and makes it impassable to HGVs.
“It’s not safe to have huge lorries blocking the road and mounting the pavement, which also puts pedestrians in danger.”
Mr Edwards, whose lunchtime restaurant trade has dropped by 70% since the Sudbury blaze, claims “none of the local authorities appear concerned” about the plight of Friars Street traders.
He added: “I have been nagging the county council for ages about lorries coming down here and they say it’s all about satellite navigation and they can’t do anything about that.
“The town council and Babergh say it’s not their responsibility and no-one seems to be taking this junction seriously. Everyone is passing the buck and until someone gets killed, they won’t do anything about it.”
Last night local Mr Cartlidge said he was “appalled” at the damage inflicted on the building. He has pledged to raise the issue with county council officials.
“Let’s not forget these are businesses which have had enough trouble since the fire, without this HGV issue compounding it,” he said.
“It raises the question of what route lorries are using when leaving the lorry park (near Waitrose) and that is clearly one of the key points to discuss, including possibly whether there should be different signage.”
Mr Cartlidge said the problem “further emphasised the need for a bypass”.
“For me the singularly most important benefit of a bypass is moving lorries out of the centre of Sudbury if at all possible and this underlines why that is so important.”
Meanwhile a county council spokesman said they were “very much aware” of the issues with HGVs in the Station Road and Friars Street area.
He added: “Worded warning road signs have been installed on Great Eastern Road and Station Road at locations where it’s possible for HGVs to see them and turn to avoid going down Station Road.
“One of these has been replaced with a pictorial image to highlight for drivers of all nationalities the unsuitability of Station Road.
“We have taken quite a lot of action in that area and are always reviewing the situation.”
Published in the EADT. http://www.eadt.co.uk/news/sudbury_building_damaged_by_hgv_for_second_t…