BUSINESSES are being asked to sign up to a voluntary agreement to rid a packed high street of disruptive lorries.

Residents in Yarm have long-standing complaints about heavy goods vehicles passing through the village.

Despite close links to both the A19 and A66, delivery vans and wagons are using the road as a short-cut to industrial estates.

But this may be about to end, thanks to action by councillors.

Yarm Councillor Jennie Beaumont said last night that there were two possibilities to rid the village of the over-sized transport.

She said how the council intends to work alongside local businesses to try to draft a voluntary agreement not to use Yarm High Street.

Coun Beaumont added: "At the moment, the High Street is classed as an A road and to solve the problems we would either have to downgrade it to a B road - which would be difficult - or look at a voluntary agreement with local companies.

"I think the problems with the lorries affect a lot of people and many councillors are working together to find a solution."

Yarm Town Council Chairman Peter Monk said that an existing agreement, drafted nine years ago, worked for a short time before there were relapses.

He said: "The lorries are a really big problem.

"It is quite frightening when a 44-tonne truck ploughs through a village like Yarm.

"I would welcome any suggestions to alleviate the problems, however, I think the only real solution would be a bypass."

Mr Monk explained that residents and businesses were assured that the A19 and A66 would stop traffic travelling through the village. But truckers are still using the High Street as a short cut to Durham Tees Valley Airport and nearby industrial estates.

Stockton Borough Council is awaiting carried out by council officials, which will look into similar traffic problems on the A67 in Yarm.

Coun Beaumont said: "There is a lot of work going into a report to look at the use of the A67. Alongside that, we will look at getting local companies to sign up to a voluntary agreement."