Lorry drivers who use residential roads at unsociable hours in Redbridge will soon face fines of up to £130.

Redbridge Council has agreed to rejoin a London-wide scheme it left in 2005, which aims to manage which roads lorries weighing 18 tonnes or more can use during unsociable hours.

Using automatic numberplate recognition (ANPR) cameras, hauliers will be fined up to £550 and drivers up to £130 if their HGVs leave a permitted network of roads at night, on Saturday afternoons or on Sundays.

According to a report before Redbridge’s cabinet on Thursday, January 13, the council is already undertaking a “full-scale review” of its warning signage and planning where to place ANPR cameras.

The report claimed enforcement action on rat-runs would “improve quality of life for Redbridge residents and reduce the number of complaints received by the council regarding HGVs using unsuitable residential roads.”

The core network of roads HGVs weighing more than 18 tonnes are allowed to drive on in Redbridge includes the A12, the M11, A406 and A12.