County transport chiefs are planning a series of round-the-clock lorry parks to cut the numbers of HGVs illegally parked on roads overnight.

Kent County Council said it is examining options for three parks, each capable of holding about 200 lorries.

It has not ruled out the option of a larger park to cope with Operation Stack off the M20, but says it intends to focus on addressing a shortage of lorry park facilities available throughout the year.

The locations have not been revealed, but are understood to be in Shepway, Dover and Swale.

KCC says it would pay for the parks to be built, but would recoup the costs through charges.

Cllr David Brazier (Con), KCC cabinet member for transport, said the parks were a priority for the council and detailed plans were being drawn up.

It is possible the continental-styled parks would be operated by private companies under contract.

"We are looking at sites away from residential areas," he said. "It is a significant challenge in terms of planning but we are a big county.

"We want the parks to be able to take about 200 vehicles each. We want to find a way of getting HGVs away from illegal roadside parking and also provide help when Operation Stack is in place."

The sites under consideration would be easily accessible from the M2 and M20 and close to the port of Dover and the Eurotunnel site.

"We have developed a model in which we would pay for them to be built and then recover the costs," he said.

He added the decline in the number of times Operation Stack had been implemented in the last two years meant the long-standing plans for a big park capable of holding as many as 3,000 HGVs had become less of a priority.

"There are no small facilities for overnight parking for HGVs and there are on the continent."

The news is likely to be welcomed by both hauliers and residents in areas where HGVs parked in laybys are often a cause for complaints.

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