“With the news that St Albans Council has lost its court case against Eric Pickles’s decision to approve the Park Street lorry terminal, it really has been Friday 13th for local residents,” said Sandy Walkington, Liberal Democrat candidate for St Albans. “All the judge could do was determine whether the Conservative Secretary of State had exercised his powers lawfully and sadly it seems that Mr Pickles did.

“With one stroke of the pen, Mr Pickles stabbed St Albans in the front, sides and back.

“Although the immediate impact if the scheme now goes ahead will be on the residents of Park Street, south St Albans and the villages, the ripples will go far wider,” Sandy said. “The setting of the city and Abbey will be irrevocably damaged. Increased traffic congestion will affect the far wider highway network and impact on the attractiveness of our community to other businesses and organisations. And there will be massive disruption to rail commuters.

“I will be working with county councillor colleagues to press the Conservative leadership of Hertfordshire County Council not to be Eric Pickles’s puppet and not sell its part of the land unless it is forced to do so by compulsory purchase. And we will also need to see what mitigation might be possible.

“It is truly depressing news. I am so desperately sorry that after all the hard work of residents, STRiFE, the council and politicians of all parties it should have come to this,” Sandy concluded.