VIDEO shows the moment a huge 15 metre long lorry got stuck while attempting to do a three point turn in a residential street.
The A.W. Jenkinson lorry ended up having to be towed out of a grass embankment after becoming stuck on the A26 Eridge Road near Tunbridge Wells in Kent yesterday.
The vehicle was attempting to perform a three point turn in the 8 metre wide road – in a bid to avoid an upcoming low-hanging bridge that it would be unable to get under.
The clip begins with the truck cab trying to pull out of the grass embankment without having much luck.
Another HGV is shown patiently waiting behind as the lorry driver frantically tries to turn his heavy vehicle around.
The lorry is then shown rocking back and forward as it tries to bring its way round to the opposite direction while it appears horizontal across both lanes.
A tow truck then arrives and is able to pull the lorry around properly before it finally drives off – leaving part of the grass area destroyed in the process.
Locals said the lorry was stuck from 11am yesterday until around 12.20pm – causing huge delays for traffic in the area.
Local bystander Jamie Leybourne witnessed the incident and captured footage as it unfolded outside his house.
He uploaded the clip onto Facebook, writing: “Oh dear…. bypass Eridge Road as lorry is stuck in the mud….”
Dozens of viewers have commented on the video.
Stewart Davies wrote: “I swear some of these lorry drivers are idiots.”
Tracey Chaffey Hammond said: “Well at least he didn’t try and go under the bridge.”
Matthew Horton commented: “Fancy going on the grass with a lorry. I wouldn’t go on the grass with a car after the rain we have had.”
Stephen Paterson wrote: “Aahh…the old P45 manoeuvre.”
And Donna Izzard said: “Go give him a push.”
Speaking today, Jamie, 43, said: “I see the large lorry from my room driving towards the bridge, but he obviously knew he wasn’t going to fit as he pulled over for a few minutes.
“He then proceeded to try and turn in the middle of the road, but he had to go over the curb and onto the grass.
“Then he just seemed to get dislodged into the muddy grass and couldn’t get out again. So obviously he’s now blocked the whole road.
“Police came after about 30 minutes and were asking him questions.
“In the meantime a passer-by tried to pull him out of the mud.
“Then the company had to call the Mick Gauld recovery truck to pull him free.
“Then he just drove off up the road, leaving huge muddy holes in the grass…”
This is not the first time there’s been trouble with lorry’s blocking Eridge Road.
In February a lorry overturned when they hit the same railway bridge the Jenkinson truck was avoiding.
And in 2019 heavy rain washed away the underpinnings of the road, causing a culvert to collapse beneath the road.
