HEAVY vehicles are to be banned from Whitby's cobbled Church Street, used by thousands of tourists on their way to the 850-year-old parish church of St Mary's and Whitby Abbey, because of the damage they are causing.

Mike Moore, North Yorkshire County Council's director of environmental services, said property owners were becoming increasingly worried about damage and had called for action to help curtail the problem.

One of the buildings damaged has been The Old Town Hall, in Market Place, he said.

Lorries weighing 3.5 tonnes or more are to be banned from using the street.