A traffic barrier erected by a pensioner and subsequently taken away is continuing to create a rift between residents in Hutton Mount.

Thomas Candler installed the device on land he owns in Brockley Grove, Hutton Mount, but removed the horizontal arm when Hutton Mount Association threatened legal action.

The bollards and uprights have been left in place to curb the speed of traffic and discourage the use of the road as a rat run.

But now a resident in Woodway has hit out at the traffic device after an ambulance he needed could not negotiate the barrier in Brockley Grove and had to find an alternative route.

The incident happened before the horizontal arm was taken away. Without the arm, the remaining bollards and uprights create a width restriction of 2.7m.

The 73-year-old man said he called for an ambulance one evening after experiencing acute pain.

The ambulance was not able to use Woodway Bridge to reach his home because the bridge has a width restriction of 2.2m.

The retired city worker alleged: "They were unable to use Brockley Grove because of Mr Candler's obstruction. The ambulance had to circumnavigate Hutton Mount in order to reach my house. The ambulance crew were at pains to point out that in different circumstances this delay could have caused a fatality."

Alan Westrip, operational manager for Brentwood Ambulance Station, agreed to look into the incident at the request of the Brentwood Gazette.

He said later: "The official width of an ambulance is 2.36m so obviously Woodway being 2.2m causes extreme problems. We can get through it but we have to go extremely carefully and negotiate both ends. Brockley Grove is not such a problem but at the time of incident the arm was on and the crew had to go a different way and it did cause a delay. The arm has since been removed."

The ambulance arrived in 14 minutes - well within the 19 minute target for a B category rating the call had been given by the service.

Bob Angus, a neighbour who has supported Mr Candler's stance over the barrier, said he had previously written to the ambulance service and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service and received written assurances that the barrier did not present a problem to them.

Hutton Mount Limited reported the removal of the horizontal barrier in a recent newsletter and said the bollards and uprights were to remain standing as a "very effective speed restriction".

Published Thursday, May 22, 2003

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