A CORNISH councillor has demanded a full investigation into the response to traffic chaos which brought Saltash to a standstill after an HGV broke down on the Tamar Bridge.

Cllr Keith Johnson, who represents Saltash Tamar ward, has written to the co-chairs of the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee and Tamar Crossings’ chief officer demanding answers over why it took so long to recover the vehicle and restore traffic flow.

In his letter, he states the HGV was reported to be broken down on the bridge’s north cantilever at 7.55am on Monday (September 7). By 8.40am, police were helping with the incident but specialist HGV recovery had still not arrived, with long delays building in both directions.

At 9.30am, the cantilever remained closed and traffic was being redirected, while recovery was still awaited. A recovery vehicle was reported to be attending at 9.50am, although the cantilever remained closed and congestion continued to spread through the surrounding road network.

Cllr Johnson said the published timeline raised “serious questions” about the response to the incident. He is now seeking precise details of when the HGV broke down, when Tamar Crossings was notified, when recovery was requested, when the vehicle was removed and when the bridge eventually returned to normal operation.

The disruption caused widespread congestion across Saltash, with Cllr Johnson warning of consequences for residents, workers, businesses and public services.

He said people risked missing hospital appointments, while NHS staff, carers, teachers and other essential workers could be delayed. He added that tradespeople lost potential income, while businesses faced lost working time, delayed deliveries and reduced productivity.

“For many residents of South East Cornwall, crossing the Tamar is not an optional journey,” he said. “It is essential for accessing employment, education, healthcare and other services that are not available locally.”

Cllr Johnson has also questioned whether toll collection should be suspended during major incidents.

He acknowledged raising the barriers would not remove an HGV physically blocking the bridge, but said that once an obstruction had been cleared, continuing to charge traffic could potentially delay the dispersal of accumulated queues.

He is also calling for clear criteria to be established for temporarily suspending toll collection when it is safe and could help traffic recover — and has requested the joint committee develops and publishes a ‘Major Disruption and Traffic Recovery Protocol’.

Cllr Johnson wants the September 7 incident and the wider adequacy of current response arrangements placed on the agenda for the next joint committee meeting, supported by a detailed officer report.

“South East Cornwall residents pay to use this essential crossing,” he said. “They are entitled to expect a reliable service, a rapid and co-ordinated response when something goes wrong and a tolling system that does not unnecessarily impede the recovery of traffic.

“Repeated gridlock cannot simply be accepted as inevitable. The consequences for patients, families, workers, public services and businesses are far too serious, and the cumulative damage to our local economy is far too great.”

Tamar Crossings have been approached for comment, but as yet have not replied.