Brazen motorists are driving across a farmer’s field in a sneaky shortcut to try and avoid an 11 mile diversion because of roadworks.
Dozens of vehicles have been caught on camera driving across the recently mowed hay field after a 20-metre section of main road nearby was closed to traffic.
The off-road route has become a popular diversion amongst impatient motorists – including a Royal Mail van which was spotted taking the shortcut.
The field leads on to the back of residential homes where neighbours say cars have been cutting through the area.
The roadworks are blocking a section of the B1112 which residents use to travel less than half a mile from one end of the village to the other at Lakenheath in Suffolk.
Residents face an 11 mile diversion to get from Mutford Green to Hall Drive in the village if the road is closed via Station Road, Wingfield Road, Brandon Road, and Little Hemsworth.
One resident, who asked not to be named, said she saw a white van attempting to exit the field come through a gap in woods near her garden.
She says the van managed to come through across her “garden, up the kerb and off the kerb with a little bit of verbal in between.”
When the footage of motorists using the shortcut was shared on social media, exasperated residents blasted the drivers as “disgraceful”.
Susan North, who often walks her dog around the same field, says “it is a bit intimidating” and there are “not many places I can get off the track to let vehicles pass.”
Sharon Wright, also wrote: “Will people not learn, fields are private property.”
Mark Hayes, also added: “blimey there are some really lazy drivers out there.”
And Ruth Tierny wrote: “Name & shame them!! Disgraceful.”
Although there was an uproar among the residents, a lot of people also stuck up for the drivers because the roadworks can be an ‘inconvenience’.
Lisa Waller wrote on Facebook: “No defence for the drivers, but maybe show a little urgency in the works so people don’t feel the need to off-road it across the fields.
“Block the road off and do the works immediately. Looks like an abandoned site in the footage! Shame on the highways for not dealing with this asap.”
Liam Donovan added: “If its a main used road with no ‘close by diversion‘ sign don’t close the whole road down, work on one side then when you have finished work on the other you can keep the traffic going – its been done many times.
“What do you expect. Today I drove past an open barrier saying road closed, to find the work being done on one side.
“Other people was diverting for no reason you have got to chance it sometimes because 80 per cent of times it says “road closed” it turns out to be nothing happening.
“No offence to the workers though, this is just what I come across on a daily driving job.”
And one person on social media particularly stuck up for the drivers.
Renier Jansen wrote: “Love it! If there is a will there is a way!”
