A Bulgarian lorry company has hit back at claims its drivers are “unsafe” amid calls for them to be “banned” from UK roads.

Disgruntled residents in Swanscombe and Northfleet have long complained of “confused foreign lorry drivers” crashing into walls and parked cars after “repeatedly ignoring diversion signs” set up around an emergency road closure.

The A226 Galley Hill Road has been shut since April last year following a landslide but problems with freight traffic continue to rumble on.

Fresh concerns over large articulated lorries belonging to a Bulgarian logistics firm getting stuck down narrow side streets and allegedly damaging vehicles has prompted calls for the authorities to take action.

DISCORDIA, the company the vehicles are registered to, says they are “isolated incidents” and it is doing everything it can to “prevent them from happening again in the future”.

But Graham Taylor, from the Greenhithe and Swansombe Residents’ Association, is leading the charge for more action to be taken, including calling for a potential ban on its vehicles.

He said: “I will be contacting the Department for Transport, the Driving Standards Agency, Kent Police and the crime commissioner for starters, and then anyone else I can think of.

“I have already emailed the Bulgarian Embassy.”

The Swanscombe resident, 64, has also contacted DISCORDIA directly about his concerns.

“I have written to DISCORDIA in both Bulgarian and English with pictures, as this is happening on a daily basis both in Phoenix Parc and Swanscombe High Street,” he said.

“I told them this is not good enough. The A226 at Galley Hill has been closed for 15 months and there are well signposted diversions in place and a 7.5 ton limit in Swanscombe.

“Why can't their drivers follow this?”

He added: “I told them I am petitioning the authorities to ban their lorries from the UK as their drivers obviously do not have enough knowledge of UK traffic law to drive safely.”

In the most recent incident, a car parked in Black Eagle Drive, on the Phoenix Parc estate in Northfleet, was left with a smashed wing mirror and large dents in its side after a DISCORDIA lorry got stuck.

Rae Bottomley, 56, of Trebble Road, said her 10-year-old Honda Civic was struck and damaged by a Hungarian truck late last month and fears it may be written off by her insurance company.

It comes just weeks after another foreign lorry was seen narrowly missing those enjoying a picnic in a children’s play park in the same estate after it got stuck and was forced to make a U-turn.

The issue of foreign lorries failing to adhere to the road closed and diversion signs has been ongoing since the A228 Galley Hill Road collapsed between Swanscombe High Street and Ebbsfleet Football Club’s Kuflink Stadium in Northfleet in April last year.

In the past 15 months, signs have been installed and updated to ensure they are clear and visible.

But residents say lorries are still coming through the streets, damaging cars and causing traffic jams when they get stuck.

A spokesman for DISCORDIA told KentOnline its international drivers “undergo regular training on local traffic rules ,signs, and road regulations, including those in the UK”.

He added: “They also use a professional navigation system for heavy goods vehicles and can contact our 24/7 Help Desk, if they require further assistance.

“DISCORDIA has never and will never tolerate violations of local traffic bans, and we always take the necessary action when such cases occur.

“We are aware of two incidents in the past month, one of which occurred a few days ago, where our driver was driving to a parking lot near a residential area and guided by navigation entered a prohibited area and hit cars.

“Immediate action was taken to cover the damage, the driver was punished, and additional communication was made to all our drivers about the restricted area as a preventive measure for future incidents.

“We apologize to everyone affected by these isolated incidents and are doing everything we can to prevent them from happening again in the future.

“If anyone has had similar situations with violations by our guides, they can write to us at claims@discordia.bg.”

Earlier this week, new Dartford MP Jim Dickson vowed to make the re-opening of the road a priority.

He is hoping to work with the companies and authorities involved and approach the new government for help.

It comes after months of legal wrangling between the landowners and Kent County Council meant investigation work on the site was only recently completed.