THOUSANDS of HGV drivers could be forced off the road by new Euro eyesight regulations, says Burnley MP Peter Pike.

Under a new licence directive, drivers over 40 will have to undergo tougher eye tests.

And it means testers won't give passes to guys who wear glasses - unless they can also satisfy another easier test with their specs off.

One-eyed professional drivers appear to have no chance of keeping their licences.

The British Government won't take up an option allowing it to pass them, providing their sight has not deteriorated since they qualified under the old regulations.

Under the Euro directive, drivers have to show they have good vision in both eyes and that they can see well enough in the unlikely event of their glasses being knocked off while driving. North West Transport and General Workers' Union officials have been inundated with calls from worried drivers over the regulations which take effect from July 1.

And now 43 MPs, including Mr Pike, have signed a Commons motion calling on the Government to "urgently reconsider" its position on the way it implements the directive.

They want Westminster to protect the livelihoods of "skilled, safe professional drivers and safeguard the road transport industry."

Mr Pike and his colleagues say they deplore the Government's stance and the effect it will have on professional drivers with proven safety records.

These men would receive no compensation, no right to retraining or appeal if they lost their jobs.

A spokesman for the Transport and General Workers' Union officer in Accrington said: "Although we would be the first to applaud any measures which lead to greater road safety, there are aspects of the new directive which are both unfair and unecessary."

He added that the union would be lobbying the European Parliament.

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