MUD AND MUCK ON ROADS FROM FARMS

[mick_benson]

Riding into chippenham this morning I was very nearly thrown from my bike when I came across mud on the road from farm tractor's, still don't know how I managed to stay on, so thinking of going to the council with a list of signature's to complain about the mud and muck left on our roads from the farms, arnt they ment to clean up???

[Jon_W]

I believe they are, but is a hard one to police.

[Crosbie]

I believe they are, but is a hard one to police.

Not if the mud tracks lead from a field to a farm.... :P

[db]

I belive their suppost to hose the vehicles off before going onto the road,but few bother.....the stanford in the vale road was shocking this morning,one lorry comes the opposite way and i couldnt see a thing :(

[Nelly]

Same on the road to Devizes over blacklands from Compton Bassett. Take care out there :(

[wiltshire builders]

The road from chippenham to sutton benger was a joke yesterday. There was an inch of frozen mud covering the whole lane.
Farming is an extremely hard job for very little reward but it doesn't mean they should be allowed special treatment.
I know a lot of farmers and they're all really great people except when it comes to matters like this.
They all have a chip on their shoulders about being told what to do and that nobody else understands because they're not in the industry.
They're out of touch with the rest of society and need to be brought up-to-date.
The police need to come down hard on them spreading mud on roads and vehicles and trailers without light boards or numberplates.

[Geordie Stu]

The Highways Act 1980, the Water Resources Act 1991 (in relation to anti-pollution notices) and the law of public nuisance all have provisions relating to mud on the road.

Even mud from vehicles not belonging to the landowner, for example, a contractor spreading muck on the fields or a milk tanker can still be the landowner’s responsibility, if the mud came off their land and they knew about the mud and could have prevented it or cleared it up.

Farmers and landowners are advised to make sure that they have appropriate Public Liability insurance cover in place should the worst happen.

[Rossio]

The police need to come down hard on them spreading mud on roads and vehicles and trailers without light boards or numberplates.


Yet when a biker has a number plate that is too small or an exhaust that is too loud and get done for it, they can cry bitch and winge about it for weeks even tho its their fault? maybe there should be a law brought in that we av to pull a water tanker around behind the tractor just to make sure the wheels are spotless for bikers, don worry about other hazards like horses pedestrians cats dogs and kids eh, if you cant see whats around the next bend......slow down!

[wiltshire builders]

The police need to come down hard on them spreading mud on roads and vehicles and trailers without light boards or numberplates.


Yet when a biker has a number plate that is too small or an exhaust that is too loud and get done for it, they can cry bitch and winge about it for weeks even tho its their fault? maybe there should be a law brought in that we av to pull a water tanker around behind the tractor just to make sure the wheels are spotless for bikers, don worry about other hazards like horses pedestrians cats dogs and kids eh, if you cant see whats around the next bend......slow down!
You are absolutely right.
Deaths from small numberplates and loud exhausts are an unnecessary waste of life that can be easily avoided.
C'mon people stop this madness!

[Crosbie]

You are absolutely right.
Deaths from small numberplates and loud exhausts are an unnecessary waste of life that can be easily avoided.
C'mon people stop this madness!


I think what Rossio is getting at is a law is a law and we should all abide by them. Though i agree with you it is madness that it is very likely more people are fined each year for having non compliant plates/exhausts etc than those leaving excessive debris on the public roads which is clearly a danger to everyone regardless of sensible speeds where as exhausts are more of a noise issue which to be fair the council don’t comply with after sending highways repairmen round to resurface the road directly outside my house for 4 nights in a row stating at 6.30pm and finishing at 2:30 am (i hasten to add they were still using extremely heavy machinery at 2:00am making my sash window locks loosen through vibration) Apparently the council don’t have a problem with this as they were minimising disruption to traffic at peak times..... >:( >:( >:( yes that is 3 angry faces! sorry for the rant.

So why should we have quiet exhausts!lol

[Bigfish]

Totally agree with all your comments, but it does us no good shouting about it on the forum. Maybe if we all reported it in the official way something may get done?
Here is the web site to report mud on the road, plus other information wiltshire.gov.uk/parkingtransportandstreets/roadshighwayspavements/reportahighwayproblem/mudonthehighway
Volume reporting/campaigning should make Wiltshire Council listen or would it be a death that makes them react!! We should try the reporting route before someone does get seriously hurt or worse!!
I've done it and Wessex Water have been made to clean a road near Calne :(

[wiltshire builders]

You are absolutely right.
Deaths from small numberplates and loud exhausts are an unnecessary waste of life that can be easily avoided.
C'mon people stop this madness!


I think what Rossio is getting at is a law is a law and we should all abide by them. Though i agree with you it is madness that it is very likely more people are fined each year for having non compliant plates/exhausts etc than those leaving excessive debris on the public roads which is clearly a danger to everyone regardless of sensible speeds where as exhausts are more of a noise issue which to be fair the council don’t comply with after sending highways repairmen round to resurface the road directly outside my house for 4 nights in a row stating at 6.30pm and finishing at 2:30 am (i hasten to add they were still using extremely heavy machinery at 2:00am making my sash window locks loosen through vibration) Apparently the council don’t have a problem with this as they were minimising disruption to traffic at peak times..... >:( >:( >:( yes that is 3 angry faces! sorry for the rant.

So why should we have quiet exhausts!lol
Yeah i kinda got that but thanks for the heads up ::)
I'm also guessing he has no sense of irony as he has just proved my point about farm workers not being compliant in matters like this.
He could've easily said that the farming comunity is working closely with the highways agency to weed out the few people who are giving everyone else a bad name and how people only notice when the road is a mess and don't notice when a farmer has cleaned up after themselves and give them credit.
Instead he went down the "everyone else is doing it so why can't we" route. Then tried to blame road users for any accidents they have as a result of a farmers negligence. I don't see why we should have to pick up the slack just because someone can't do their job properly.

[Bigfish]

Sorry cant post links yet (forum Rules)
If a long standing member could add it to their thread. Or just look it up on the Wiltshire Council web site under CLARENCE.
Alan :'(

[wiltshire builders]

Sorry cant post links yet (forum Rules)
If a long standing member could add it to their thread. Or just look it up on the Wiltshire Council web site under CLARENCE.
Alan :'(
http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/parkingtransportandstreets/roadshighwayspavements/reportahighwayproblem/mudonthehighway/mudonthehighwayguidance.htm

What you MUST do:
Do everything possible to prevent mud being deposited on the road. This includes cleaning mud from vehicles, as far as practicable, before they are taken onto the road. The fact that cleaning mud off tractors and attachments is commercially inconvenient may not be a defence in law.
Only use signs that are authorised. The recommended sign shows the ‘Slippery Road’ triangle with ‘Mud on Road’ sub plate. If appropriate, the ‘Men at Work’ sign should be used. Signs must be at least 750mm.. Make sure they are positioned to give maximum visibility and warning to other road users.
Clean the road as necessary during the working day and always at the end of the working day.
Ensure that labour and equipment is available and is suitable for the soil and weather conditions present.
Where a contractor is used, ensure that prior agreement is reached on who is responsible for mud on road issues (signage, cleaning etc) and ensure that adequate public liability insurance is in place
No reason for anyone to come across a muddy road unexpectedly then.

[Ducatista]

No reason for anyone to come across a muddy road unexpectedly then.

Meanwhile back in the real world where spillages occur, it would be a good idea to be able to stop in the distance you can see to be clear :) then you won't be coming up anything that's in front of you unexpectedly.

[Rossio]

You are absolutely right.
Deaths from small numberplates and loud exhausts are an unnecessary waste of life that can be easily avoided.
C'mon people stop this madness!


I think what Rossio is getting at is a law is a law and we should all abide by them. Though i agree with you it is madness that it is very likely more people are fined each year for having non compliant plates/exhausts etc than those leaving excessive debris on the public roads which is clearly a danger to everyone regardless of sensible speeds where as exhausts are more of a noise issue which to be fair the council don’t comply with after sending highways repairmen round to resurface the road directly outside my house for 4 nights in a row stating at 6.30pm and finishing at 2:30 am (i hasten to add they were still using extremely heavy machinery at 2:00am making my sash window locks loosen through vibration) Apparently the council don’t have a problem with this as they were minimising disruption to traffic at peak times..... >:( >:( >:( yes that is 3 angry faces! sorry for the rant.

So why should we have quiet exhausts!lol
Yeah i kinda got that but thanks for the heads up ::)
I'm also guessing he has no sense of irony as he has just proved my point about farm workers not being compliant in matters like this.
He could've easily said that the farming comunity is working closely with the highways agency to weed out the few people who are giving everyone else a bad name and how people only notice when the road is a mess and don't notice when a farmer has cleaned up after themselves and give them credit.
Instead he went down the "everyone else is doing it so why can't we" route. Then tried to blame road users for any accidents they have as a result of a farmers negligence. I don't see why we should have to pick up the slack just because someone can't do their job properly.

okay, so your going to thank us for waiting for the frost before we start muck cart to minimise the mess we make?? No? didnt think so, The point i am making is that in reality you can not keep all the mud off the road,seems logical really a 6+ ton machine driving on mud....hmmmm dont think that one needs explaning, its nothing about having a chip on anyones shoulder its all about reality abd the time in wich these jobs need doing, not all of us do a 9 til 5 and have all day to drink t, im not going to argue about it with you but if you did understand "the industry" maybe youd understand, after all you eat right! ;) I think you will also find there are alot more deaths within agriculture than someone slipping on mud because of it,
Back on topic, if you are concerned about mud on a road, approach the farm in question and just say, going straight thru the council will upset farmers and the problem could get worse,

[bobf279]

"....going straight thru the council will upset farmers and the problem could get worse"

Bit of a threat there, tell on me and I'll do it all the more?

[Rossio]

not a threat no, but thanks for your input ::)

[Jon_W]

I think the question is one of individual pride. I hate living in a sh*t hole and constantly have to keep the front of the house clear of litter dropped by others in the road (wrappers, bottles, fag buts, kebab boxes, etc). My point is if everyone cleared their own mess, there would be no arguement over law or who to report to because there would not be a problem.

Prehaps I'm being naieve (sorry, I don't know the spelling).

[Marmalade]

That would work. This way, while you're plodding along at 20mph in a nsl area all the cars from the queue behind that have overtaken will clear the mud by the time you get there

[mick_benson]

i think some of you may have taken my point the wrong way
the point i was trying to get at is that i do understand that the farmers need to do there job and it is an important one, so is the rubbish collection that i'm sure we all get the benifit of but if they left rotton food on your road you would soon complain??????
so my point is that it cant be hard for farmers to "clean up" after themselves, the same as you would expect of ANY trades person

[Blackandchrome]

8-) Got the heater on in the cab and the music turned up loud! 8-)
About 2 tonne of slurry slopping about in my trailer....Ooops. A bit of mud/sh*te just flew off my rear wheels then. Shall I stop right here on th main road and go clear it up; out there in the wind and the cold? ;)
Minety roads are a bit mucky at times :P

[Geordie Stu]

8-) Got the heater on in the cab and the music turned up loud! 8-)
About 2 tonne of slurry slopping about in my trailer....Ooops. A bit of mud/sh*te just flew off my rear wheels then. Shall I stop right here on th main road and go clear it up; out there in the wind and the cold? ;)
Minety roads are a bit mucky at times :P

Not really just keep the entrance/exit to the road clean. Which can be a pain on bends where on a bike or in the car. PLEASE :P

[Ducatista]

This way, while you're plodding along at 20mph in a nsl area all the cars from the queue behind that have overtaken will clear the mud by the time you get there

There may indeed be some places where 4 wheel vehicles can go faster than 2 wheeled ones.

If you feel a compelling need to keep up with everyone else regardless then you are likely to come to grief at some stage and end up like Marmalade :)
Far better to ride at a speed which is suitable for the capabilities of the bike, rider and conditions.
If that means going 20 mph or less occassionally then so be it.

I was in a hail storm recently and it was like marbles.
I drove in one of the car tyre tracks and waved all the cars past rather than deciding I must keep up with them at all costs. I got home safely even though it was treacherous on a bike.

[Rossio]

8-) Got the heater on in the cab and the music turned up loud! 8-)
About 2 tonne of slurry slopping about in my trailer....Ooops. A bit of mud/sh*te just flew off my rear wheels then. Shall I stop right here on th main road and go clear it up; out there in the wind and the cold? ;)
Minety roads are a bit mucky at times :P

YES get your brush and shovel out this instant!!! ;D

[Nikki]

8-) Got the heater on in the cab and the music turned up loud! 8-)
About 2 tonne of slurry slopping about in my trailer....Ooops. A bit of mud/sh*te just flew off my rear wheels then. Shall I stop right here on th main road and go clear it up; out there in the wind and the cold? ;)
Minety roads are a bit mucky at times :P

I think there is a bit of difference to a bit of sh*te that's spun off a wheel to the disgusting and dangerous mess left by some farmers on the roads eg the A350 just past Longbridge Deverill.

[wiltshire builders]

8-) Got the heater on in the cab and the music turned up loud! 8-)
About 2 tonne of slurry slopping about in my trailer....Ooops. A bit of mud/sh*te just flew off my rear wheels then. Shall I stop right here on th main road and go clear it up; out there in the wind and the cold? ;)
Minety roads are a bit mucky at times :P

I think there is a bit of difference to a bit of sh*te that's spun off a wheel to the disgusting and dangerous mess left by some farmers on the roads eg the A350 just past Longbridge Deverill.

Also good to see that it's being taken so seriously :-? It's possible to avoid the odd splat but when the whole road is completely covered, what then?
Even a warning sign would help.
I do a messy job, opperate heavy machinery and certainly don't do 9-5 and any public areas are cleaned down and made safe before me or any one on my site leaves.
I couldn't live with myself if someones life was ruined by something so simple as cleaning up after yourself.
You keep trying, but you don't have an excuse.