By timesecholife on in All News, Latest News
A haulage company owner has been told he cannot send out his trucks around a Moorlands town as part of the weekly Clap for Our Carers – due to it not being an ‘essential’ journey.
A haulage company owner has been told he cannot send out his trucks around a Moorlands town as part of the weekly Clap for Our Carers – due to it not being an ‘essential’ journey.
As the country continues to be in lockdown due to the on-going battle with coronavirus, everyone is being urged not to drive unless for ‘essential’ journeys.
Last week, during Thursday’s mass thank you to the nation’s key workers, MJS Transport, which is based in Cheadle, had four of it’s trucks go through the streets of Cheadle, flashing their lights and sounding their horns as their way of saying thank you and also in a bid to enhance community spirit.
The following day, Mick Shirley, who owns the business, was visited by Staffordshire Police who informed him that there had been complaints about the noise of the lorries, and officers also gave Mr Shirley advice about only making essential journeys at this time.
Mr Shirley told the Times & Echo: “The police came to me on Friday. They asked about us going out on Thursday at 8pm and said they had had some complaints about the noise, which I said well we were blowing the horns, and that we could refrain from doing that next time.
“But then they responded asking if it was an essential journey, to which I said I guess not in the current circumstances. I did say that we stuck to the social distancing guidelines with none of the drivers getting out of their cabs.
“I also asked why the police are not following the same rules. They have been driving to the hospital, stopping there with their blue lights on etc.
“I was then told that they are just going to stop wherever they are next time and put the blue lights on and clap.”
Mr Shirley further told the Times & Echo: “To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive about sending out the trucks but it was the Clap for our Carers, and it was captain Tom Moore’s birthday, and also we had found out that day that one of the lads who worked for us had sadly passed away. We wanted to do something to honour all of them.”
Mr Shirley added: “I understand the police point of view and we did try to follow the rules.
“It went down well with the community as we had lots of good feedback online, but if the police have had complaints, we need to respond to that.
“We don’t want to offend anyone – you can’t please everyone.”
A spokesman for Staffordshire Police confirmed that the force had visited MJS Transport after receiving complaints about the haulage company’s participation in Thursday’s Clap for our Carers. They said: “Staffordshire Police received a number of complaints from members of the public reporting the noise from a number of lorries driving around Cheadle beeping their horns for approximately an hour on Thursday evening (April 30).
“Officers visited a local haulage company and gave advice about essential travel.”
When asked about police cars, and other emergency service vehicles, congregating outside hospitals for the Clap for our Carers every Thursday, the spokesman said: “Officers are encouraged to join residents in the county to recognise the work of key workers while on duty but not to travel unless they are already at a location for operational reasons.”
See page 21 of this week’s paper to see readers’ comments on MJS Transport’s contribution to last week’s Clap for our Carers. If you are unable to get out to purchase the paper, you can subscribe to read the full paper online at
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We are the only family run, independent newspaper and magazine business in Staffordshire, established 1896. We are home to three weekly newspapers – The Cheadle and Tean Times (aka The Stunner), The Uttoxeter Echo and The Leek & Moorlands Echo.
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