Heavy trucks trying to pass through some of the narrowest streets of St. George have been leaving their mark in the form of property damage.

Gavin Shorto has lived on Nea's Alley since 1968 and claims to have seen dozens of trucks scrape against the walls in front of his home.

The 67-year-old is now calling for companies to avoid sending larger trucks through the town's narrower roads, and for truck drivers to take a different route when that is not possible.

"These roads are too narrow for the trucks," said Mr. Shorto. "A class 'C' truck just can't get through without chipping away at the walls. The big ones just can't make it.

"I've seen trucks just knock down a section of the wall and keep going."

At its narrowest point, Nea's Alley measures only 87.5 inches wide. While a class 'B' heavy truck, which measures less than 80 inches in width, could travel through the street with some difficulty, a class 'C' heavy truck can measure up to 90 inches in width.

In April, a Butterfield and Vallis truck collided with a pillar of his neighbour's gate, completely destroying it, Mr. Shorto said.

"They were very good about it, though. They told us we would never have another problem with them."

While he said that Butterfield and Vallis stayed true to their word, in August, Mr. Shorto saw a truck driver from another company step out of his vehicle and rip away the wood covering the partially-fixed gate.

"He just got out of the truck and started tearing off the plywood and just throwing it. I asked him what he was doing, and eventually he said, 'It's in my way'.

"Then he just drove off and just left it. He knew he was doing something wrong. That's why he wouldn't talk to me."

Mr. Shorto said he'd been told another truck driver was spotted reversing up the one-way road and when asked what he was doing, allegedly said: "I like a challenge."

The intersection of Nea's Alley and Needle and Thread Alley is also seeing its share of damage, with one wall crumbling from repeated hits.

"It is a pretty decrepit wall, but I've seen trucks just knock down a section and keep going," Mr. Shorto said.

The St. George's resident said he has spoken with the Corporation of St. George's about the problem, however practical concerns could make protecting the small street difficult.

"The Corporation is in a bit of a bind. They're in a bind because you've got water trucks and emergency vehicles that need to be able to use the road to get up here. I suppose they could ban heavy vehicles, but they would have to make exceptions."

St. George's Deputy Mayor Kenny Bascome said yesterday that he had met with the owners of some truckers after receiving complaints.

"We did hear that there was some property damage earlier in the year, and the party responsible did pay for repairs," he said.

"I sat down with some of the trucking people, and they all understand the problem, but obviously incidents are still happening. We're trying to improve the situation, but some people are resistant to change."

According to Mr. Shorto, the problems have only become prevalent in the last few years as larger trucks have taken to the roads in greater numbers.

"Several years ago people relied on smaller trucks," he said. "Nowadays, it just makes more financial sense for a lot of the companies to use the larger vehicles."

"I want the companies that own these trucks to understand that there is a problem. If you have to send a truck, send a smaller truck."