Trying to cross the two-lane main street of Augustow is something of an extreme sport, thanks to the 5,000 trucks that rumble through the centre of the northern Polish town on their way to the Baltics.

The previous government’s plans to run a bypass around the town through a scenic valley ran foul of European Union environmental regulations, and the trucks continue to roll through, infuriating locals, driving away investors and imposing costs on business.