CONFUSION is raging this week over how an Otley lorry ban could affect some of the town's biggest firms.

Leeds City Council's Scrutiny Board (Development) is finalising a recommendation for a 7.5 tonne weight restriction for Otley's roads.

The move came about after the Board heard evidence from road safety campaigners led by SOOR (Safety On Otley's Roads), who have been calling for a ban for years.

SOOR's chief concern has been the number of quarry lorries from North Yorkshire which drive through Otley on their way to West Yorkshire destinations.

But now Scrutiny Board member Brian Cleasby (Lib Dem, Horsforth) has suggested a ban would also apply to businesses operating within the town.

He said: "I can confirm that all parties on the board feel that the road forward is the same, to ask for a weight restriction which achieves a lorry ban in itself.

"That wouldn't preclude deliveries, as long as the weight of those deliveries was within the limit.

"This is a much bigger problem than just these quarry lorries passing through, and Leeds City Council needs to be driving a solution with the two county authorities.

"If there is a firm based in Otley using vehicles bigger than 7.5 tonnes I would have thought that the City should be working with them to find a better location for them.

"Because that's a nonsense in a little market town, where none of the roads around it are suitable for anything very big.

"How can a firm like that have some measured growth given the limits of where they are?

"We need to be looking to see if there is a better place for these companies and at which roads they could use for their vehicles."

Coun Cleasby also points out, however, that before anything happens the authority's Executive Board has to approve a ban and then a potentially lengthy consultation process would begin.

But his suggestion that Otley's own businesses would not be exempt from the weight restriction has surprised SOOR.

Group Chairman Phil Coyne said: "Our policy is certainly not to support a blanket ban which would be detrimental to trade in Otley.

"It's a matter of real concern to us if that is what is going to be proposed.

"At a meeting with Leeds last year it was put to us that a discretionary ban, which had exemptions for Otley firms, would be unenforceable.

"But there is no problem with it - the police would know which companies were based in Otley and could also check delivery schedules for lorries coming into the town.

"It is a key aim of ours to keep the support of the whole community, including that of local haulage firms."

Otley Town Councillor John Eveleigh agreed. "SOOR has always made it clear that we're not trying to target local firms, and we expect some sort of exemption for firms like Jefferies and Garnett's to be part of any ban.

"An exemption would also be essential to allow Waitrose and Sainsbury's to operate effectively, not to mention the hospital.

"We're only interested in banning vehicles who don't need to be in the town."

Scrutiny Board Chairman David Blackburn, meanwhile, said he did not want to comment on the details of the ban yet.

He said: "I don't want to pre-empt anything.

"After discussions something is now going out to all the committee members for their perusal and feedback.

"We will be in a position early next week to announce our final recommendation."