Allegations of unauthorised trailers being put on the roads in St George’s are being investigated by the Ministry of Transport, which said that no permit had been issued for the activity reported.

It comes after a construction and trucking head in the East End accused two companies of flouting the law by putting dangerously heavy vehicles on the roads with uncovered loads of sand and aggregate.

Zane DeSilva, the president and chief executive of Island Construction Services Ltd, hit back at the allegations by Thomas Harvey, dismissing them as “fake news” aimed at making political points.

Mr DeSilva said that Mr Harvey, the owner of Strike Force Construction, could have contacted the companies directly instead of issuing a statement at the weekend against ICS and SAL Limited, both contracted to pick up a delivery of aggregate shipped in to St George’s and truck it to the quarry site at Bailey’s Bay, Hamilton Parish.

Vance Campbell, the Cabinet Office minister, is the chief executive of SAL. Mr DeSilva is a Progressive Labour Party backbencher. Mr Harvey is the One Bermuda Alliance’s candidate for St George’s West.

The transport ministry said its regulations meant that dumpster trailers could be used only for transporting loads that “cannot be safely carried on a regular truck”.

It stated that no permit had been issued for “the reported activity”.

“It should be noted that regular trucks are capable of, and in most instances are used to, safely transport aggregate materials,” it added.

“The department has previously granted permission for large-scale demolition projects, such as those at the Bermudiana Beach and Club Med hotel sites.”

The Transport Control Department said it would conduct “a thorough investigation into this matter”.

The department added that “appropriate enforcement action will be taken to address any violation of regulations or permit conditions”.

Mr Harvey, when contacted on Monday by The Royal Gazette, insisted that the overloaded vehicles went well over the weight limits for the Swing Bridge and Long Bird Bridge, and had been spilling debris in the short trip across Castle Harbour.

He added that he had been “inundated” with phone calls from residents in the Tiger Bay area of St George’s.

He also claimed that independent truckers had been sidelined, with the job given to the two companies.

Mr Harvey said he had spoken with Wayne Furbert, the transport minister, on Sunday night regarding his concerns.

“The trucks are way too heavy,” he said. “They can say what they want, but nobody has taken them to the scales.

“One yard of sand weighs 2,700lb. They were putting in 14 to 15 yards, which puts you up to around 38,000lb. Then you take in the weight of the vehicle — that I am only guessing because they do not have the tare or load displayed.

“Say 15,000lb for the tractor puts you up near 55,000lb. Divide that by two and you have as much as 28 tonnes going across the bridge. Both bridges carry ten tonnes.

In a statement sent out on Sunday, Mr Harvey said both bridges had reached their expiration dates. Both are weak.

“Every time a heavy vehicle travels, its integrity is compromised. This is an unnecessary risk.”

Mr Harvey claimed he had also seen trucks without mud flaps on Sunday morning, allowing “debris to spill on to the roads, which will not only make it slippery, especially for bike riders, but the loose debris can cause damage to cars”.

He added that he had asked Mr Furbert twice over the weekend whether the correct permits had been issued for the job, including allowing the loading of tractor trailers early on a Sunday.

Mr Harvey also said he had flagged up concerns with Allan DeSilva, the general manager of ICS.

Mr Campbell was contacted for comment.

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