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Lorry breakdown causes more traffic misery on A14 near Ipswich

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Drivers are facing significant delays on the A14 near Ipswich after a lorry suffered a tyre blowout near the Seven Hills Interchange.

The details: Police were called to the incident in the westbound carriageway at about 07:55 on Thursday.

  • A spokeswoman for Suffolk Police said officers are currently at the scene.

  • The lorry has suffered a tyre blowout and is awaiting recovery.

  • Live traffic reports show long delays in the area, affecting morning commuters.

Why it matters: It comes as the PM has agreed to ministerial talks about an Ipswich Northern Bypass following mounting pressure over the economic impact of Ipswich's road network.

The bottom line: Motorists should expect delays in the westbound carriageway near Seven Hills Interchange while recovery takes place.

Oliver Rouane-Williams speaking with an elderly couple in the town centre

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Council slaps car park users with £100 fines despite publicly acknowledging payment machines were down

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Motorists have been hit with £100 parking fines at Duke Street car park despite Ipserv, which is owned by the council, publicly acknowledging payment machines were out of order.

Why it matters: Ipserv, the commercial arm of Ipswich Borough Council, has been issuing penalty charges to drivers unable to pay at Ipswich's largest Waterfront car park, where machines have been malfunctioning intermittently since late January.

A broken payment machine at Duke Street car park in Ipswich
A broken payment machine at Duke Street car park in IpswichOliver Rouane-WilliamsIpswich.co.uk

The details: The payment terminals had been experiencing problems throughout January, with all machines reported out of service on 31 January.

What they said: An Ipserv spokesperson previously stated: "Unfortunately, there is an intermittent issue with the machine at Duke Street Car Park (21851), which our engineers are actively investigating.

"While we work to resolve the problem, we kindly ask customers to use the RingGo app for payment or call RingGo Customer Services on 020 3046 0010 for assistance."

Yes, but: Many visitors are unable to pay via the RingGo app, and those who typically tap to pay with their smartphones often do not carry payment cards with them, making it impossible to pay by telephone.

A scenario seemingly overlooked by Ipserv.

What they're saying now: We approached Ipserv for comment and asked them if they would be proactively reaching out to users issued with fines despite not being able to pay. They issued the following response:

“We acknowledge that there were intermittent technical difficulties with the payment machines on the 31st January 2025. However, we wish to stress that alternative payment methods were available, users could pay via a mobile app or by contacting RingGo’s customer service on the number provided on the side of the payment machine. While we regret any inconvenience caused, these options were in place to ensure customers had a means to pay.

"The availability of alternative options of payment means that simply citing the technical issue will not, on its own, automatically cancel a parking charge notice. As an approved contractor with the British Parking Association, we are committed to correcting any errors in a fair and timely manner and will review any appeals in accordance with the recognised code of conduct.”

The bottom line: Despite publicly acknowledging these "machine issues", the council-owned company has proceeded to issue £100 fines to motorists who had no means of paying. Affected motorists are encouraged to appeal the decision.

Oliver Rouane-Williams speaking with an elderly couple in the town centre

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