WORKERS in a building which was hit by a lorry have said road restrictions need to be put in place.

A lorry was wedged between Coffee Republic and Hudson’s in Church Street on Thursday.

It had been trying to negotiate a small side road, and ended up getting stuck.

After a few hours it was able to reverse out, but caused damage to the building which is used by OBW Perera Solicitors.

Thankfully no-one was injured, but members of staff there said changes needed to be made.

One staff member said: “I understand the lorry was making a delivery to one of the buildings down there, he swung through and hadn’t appreciated the size of the gap.

“He carried on driving despite the lorry being caught on the corner of the building.”

A structural engineer attended and found no structural damage, but the side of the building has been torn off down to the wood.

The member of staff said the landlord had been contacting Essex Highways to get them to limit the number of lorries entering the road, as it is a recurring problem.

Members of staff from Coffee Republic, below the solicitors, agreed it was dangerous and said this was the worst damage yet.

Ella Birch, assistant manager at Coffee Republic, said: “It’s not the first time it has happened, and it will probably happen again.

“Residents have said it’s so dangerous and lorries shouldn’t be allowed down there as there are pedestrians.”

Businesses in Trinity Street have also been raising the problem for years, with The Purple Dog suffering bumps and scrapes on a regular basis.

An Essex Highways spokesperson said: “This particular area of Colchester, including vehicle access to the Mercury Theatre, is made up of very narrow streets.

“Essex Highways has previously installed bollards to keep large vehicles away from surrounding buildings and sufficient signage is in place to highlight any potential hazards.

“The introduction of any further physical measures would potentially increase the risk of an incident, due to the possibility that vehicles, particularly larger lorries, would require even more space to turn into side roads.

“However it might be possible for nearby property owners to use additional ‘warning’ signs on their own properties, that do not require planning permission.”