A letter to the editor has revealed that a government plan from the early 1970s to create a nationwide chain of secure truck stops – featuring perimeter fencing, CCTV, and 24-hour guards – was abruptly abandoned without explanation. The revelation comes in response to a recent long read on the UK’s cargo theft crisis, which highlighted the ongoing need for such facilities.
Alisdair McNicol of Wallasey, Merseyside, recalls that the government published a design specification for secure lorry parks with advanced security measures. These included a semicircular dry ditch to prevent vehicles ramming fences, airlock double gates with rising plate anti-ram barriers to prevent tailgating, and a control tower with bulletproof glass. The sites were also to offer fuel sales, catering, and overnight accommodation for drivers.
McNicol’s then employer, British Rail’s estates department, was asked to identify suitable locations. The Liverpool division proposed the former Langton Dock goods yard in the city’s North Docks area, which was enthusiastically received and ranked among the best sites identified by the government.
However, negotiations had barely begun when the entire concept was dropped “like the proverbial hot brick”, with little or no explanation. McNicol notes that cargo crime detectives Mike Dawber and Michael Yarwood, who bemoan the lack of secure stops today, would likely consider this a regrettable decision.
