Heysham Port has come under fire over traffic congestion which has led to lengthy tailbacks and people unable to get out of their driveways.
Changes to the entry system at the port have been blamed for regular gridlocks in the area between the Bay Gateway/Heysham Bypass and Rothesay Road, since January,
Heysham Port said "operational improvements within the port, alongside external factors such as the backlog caused by recent adverse weather conditions, have resulted in some delays to vehicles accessing the port estate" but said "traffic flow is expected to return to normal shortly".
A Facebook page has been set up called 'Public Opposition to Port Changes: Job losses and Gridlock'.
The group description says it opposes "recent operational changes at the port which are already creating serious traffic problems and putting local jobs at risk".
It says that until January, the port operated three separate check-in offices across the site, which have now been replaced with a single check-in location, leading to congestion as "all incoming traffic is now forced through one area of the port".
Several members of the group have posted this month about traffic issues in the area.
A resident contacted Beyond Radio on Tuesday evening at around 6.15pm to say vehicles had been backed up from the port down the bypass for more than two hours.
This week, Lisa posted: "Traffic still backed up at 8.15pm!"
Michelle posted: "This is getting ridiculous now!!! It took over two hours to get a takeaway delivered last night. The food had to be made again, as the delivery driver was stuck on the bypass for over an hour. So now it is impacting businesses across the whole town.
"It started backing up again today at 3.45pm."
Lily posted: "This is an absolute joke on an evening, especially as the traffic lights are not working. It's dangerous crossing the road as the lorries block your view from what's coming the opposite way."
Earlier this month, Chrissy posted: "Still getting trapped in our houses unable to get in or out of our driveways. Diabolical."
Lizzi Collinge, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale (below), has written to Heysham Port asking what is being done as "a matter of urgency".
"When we met with you separately last month, we were assured that the increased traffic in the area was a temporary issue that was as a result of new systems being implemented," said her letter to the port manager, which she published on her Facebook page.
"Since then there have been several incidents of increased traffic and we have been told of traffic queues of over two miles, with journeys from the Bay Gateway to the end of Rothesay Road taking over an hour.
"Yesterday (Tuesday) evening appears to have been one of the worst recent incidents of traffic, with shift personnel at the power station being delayed getting on to site, trailer bookings for shipping having to be cancelled, and traffic backed up again onto the Bay Gateway.
"We are very concerned about the impact on local residents, workers, school children and businesses as this appears to be an ongoing issue.
"Residents have raised valid concerns around access for emergency vehicles should they be needed, and some residents have told us that they can't leave the house in an evening due to the traffic.
"These issues did not exist prior to the system change at the port, and it appears to be evident that this, along with the port's expansion, is causing the increased local traffic.
"Whilst it is understandable that any new system would have teething problems, we would have expected these to have been addressed by now.
"Our local residents are our priority and currently they are being adversely affected by the traffic.
"Please can you inform us what the port are doing to actively address these concerns and minimise the impact on the local area. We believe this needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency."
Ms Collinge also said she had contacted Lancashire County Council to "secure an assessment of traffic at the junction including the function of the traffic lights" and said "I hope to see the results of this soon".
County Councillor Graeme Austin, who represents Heysham, said he was "working with our MP to alleviate the congestion at Heysham Port".
He said he was regularly monitoring the situation both on-line through Google Maps and by going to the area in person.
A spokesperson for the Port of Heysham said: “We recognise the recent congestion around the port and the disruption experienced by local residents and road users.
“Operational improvements within the port, alongside external factors such as the backlog caused by recent adverse weather conditions, have resulted in some delays to vehicles accessing the port estate.
“Several measures have been urgently implemented, including the deployment of additional staff to manage traffic flow and reduce queuing. Traffic flow is expected to return to normal shortly, and the situation will continue to be closely monitored, with additional actions taken as required.
“The safety of road users and port operations, alongside minimising disruption to the local community, remains a priority.”
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