COLCHESTER town centre is normally a hive of activity - the heartbeat of our community and somewhere alive with the hustle and bustle of people and traffic.

Right now, however, nothing could be further from the truth.

With the country in lockdown, non-essential retailers have been forced to close, schools are shut and many of us are working from home.

It's eerie and certainly a far cry from the traffic chaos in these pictures from yesteryear.

Taken from our archives, they show how queues and alterations to road lay-outs have long been an issue for drivers and pedestrians.

North Hill, East Hill and Colchester High Street, as well as queues on busy Bank Holidays outside Colchester Zoo on Maldon Road, are all included in the images, which date back to the early 1990s.

Greenstead roundabout, known to many as the magic roundabout for its series of smaller features scattered around the central one, is also seen in its early days.