WINDOWS rattle in their frames, roaming animals do not stand a chance against them and the peace and quiet of rural Hampshire is shattered. Huge articulated lorries and narrow, rural roads through the New Forest National Park have never gone comfortably hand in hand.

The residents of one corner of the national park have fought tirelessly for years to get the unwelcome monsters banned from their roads. From the end of the month, their wishes will finally be granted.

Hampshire County Council is officially banning all lorries over 7.5 tonnes from rat-running through the otherwise peaceful villages of Bramshaw, Brook, Godshill and Hale.

HGVs frequently use the B3079 at Bramshaw and the B3078 at Godshill as a shortcut. Surveys have shown that more than 400 of the huge vehicles travel through the north western corner of the Forest every day.

From September 28 they will be banned from the area bound by the A36, A338 and A31/M27 unless they need to be there for access.

Long-suffering residents have welcomed the news.

Joan Pressey, Bram-shaw Parish Council chairman said: "We are all delighted. It's going to be a great help. There will still be some lorries making deliveries, but we appreciate that."

Cllr Pressey said that up to 40 per cent of the lorries on the B3079 were thought to be using the road as a shortcut.

Elisabeth Lethridge has lived on the B3079 at Bramshaw for five years. The 45-year-old nurse at Lyndhurst Surgery, said: "When we first moved in there was hardly any traffic but now the lorries use it as a shortcut. It happened ever since one of the main roads was closed for roadworks and traffic was diverted this way. The lorry drivers discovered this is a shortcut.

"The ban should make a huge difference to our quality of life. This is meant to be a national park. Residents, and the tourists that visit, don't want to see huge articulated lorries driving through."

The campaign against the lorries has been just as long running in Godshill. Ann Cakebread, a parish councillor in Godshill, said: "We cannot stop the waste lorries, but I am hoping this ban will make a huge difference.

"There is no doubt Godshill is used as a cut through. Trying to sleep at 5am with lorries coming through is impossible. When the huge articulated lorries go over the cattle grid, it's really loud.

"This will also save an awful lot of damage to the verges and the wildlife. The lorries startle the animals and several have been hit as a result."

Valerie Marlow, clerk at Hale Parish Council, added: "We get an awful lot of lorries on the B3080 and some of them go too fast - they are a worry for pedestrians and cyclists as there isn't a footpath. The parish council has been pushing for a ban for years."

Hampshire County Council has worked with Wiltshire County Council to get the ban imposed. Councillor Mel Kendal, Hampshire's executive member for environment, said: "This new weight limit will have a positive impact on the well-being of the communities situated within the zone and also many visitors to the national park by reducing noise and pollution, road wear and verge damage."

The county council does not anticipate the ban leading to hold-ups on the surrounding roads. A spokesman said: "All lorries affected by the ban will instead have to use the trunk and primary A road network. The fact they are major trunk roads means they are used to coping with heavy volumes of traffic."