Lorries queuing to deliver goods to a DIY store are causing serious congestion and are a danger to pedestrians and motorists, it has been claimed.

Derek Hill, of Louisa Avenue, Benfleet, said something has to be done to tackle the problem of the lorries forced to waitin High Road, Benfleet,before entering the yard of the DIY store Focus.

He said: "It is quite a dangerous situation.

"Not only does itmean local people are held up as they have to sit in thetraffic jam, butpedestrians walking past the yard have to be on the constant look-out for lorries.

"The yard itself also appears to be in a right state and I want to see something done about it."

Appleton ward councillor Thomas Skip, who chairs the Tarpots area forum, said he had witnessed the queues of lorries which sometimes even went down as far as Rushbottom Lane.

St George's councillor Jacqueline Govier said she had spoken to the company which had told her it was doing as much as it could to sort the problem out.

She said the company had given the lorry drivers delivery times but they had not stuck to them.

Bosses at the Focus store refused to comment.

Published Friday, June 13, 2003

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