PEOPLE living in a residential area of Leyland are fuming with council chiefs for allowing a road haulage firm to use their street.

Residents in Northgate, off Golden Hill Lane, fear the flood gates have been opened to allow the company, Roadferry, to use their street as a rat run for heavy goods vehicles.

They say the truck firm, based in nearby Carr Lane, should not have been given the green-light to open a gate at the top of Northgate for use by their staff.

The firm got the go-ahead following a planning application to extend offices and build a new staff car park.

Resident Terry Durney fears truck drivers will soon be using the street as a short-cut to the major road networks -- despite the application only being granted for staff vehicles.

He said: "At the moment North West Water are doing underground work on Golden Hill Lane and traffic has been diverted.

"When they move along to the Wheelton Lane and the Carr Lane area there is nothing to stop the wagon drivers using Northgate as an easier route to the motorway and so on.

"This has always been a residential street and there has already been some road traffic accidents involving small children so you can understand why people are concerned."

The residents' fears follows Lancashire County Council's decision to install a 20mph speed limit in Northgate which includes a housing estate of around 100 properties.

And while Roadferry sought permission from South Ribble Borough Council planners, the application fell within the central area committee jurisdiction and not the Leyland area east committee which includes Northgate. Central area committee member councillor Cliff Hughes, who is the portfolio holder for planning and economic development, said: "We were aware that the plan would have implications for residents living in the neighbouring Leyland east area committee area.

"With this in mind, residents on Leyland east, who would be affected, were contacted individually by the council to obtain their views.

"When making its decision, central area committee took into account all representations made by these residents."

Leyland central coun Matthew Tomlinson said: "The reason it was passed and I didn't oppose it was because I didn't know about it.

"It is more cars in an area where the county council have already said there is enough cars to warrant a 20mph speed limit."

Director of Roadferry, David Howard, said: "The permission that has been granted is for private vehicles only and we will be giving instructions to our drivers that they have not to use that road."