Fed-up residents have called for tough action to be taken on lorry drivers who use their residential street as a shortcut through Canvey.

People living in the island's May Avenue have complained of heavy congestion and have asked Castle Point councillors for traffic calming measures to be put in place.

Resident Chris Freeman said the problem of lorries using the road as a cut-through was getting worse and claimed cracks had appeared on his property as a result.

He said: "The road is a recognised rat run for heavy lorries and this is unacceptable. The problem seems to be worse between the hours of 9am and 5pm and residents have resorted to staggering their parked cars in a bid to slow the traffic down."

Mr Freeman added: "May Avenue was not built as a major trunk road and it needs traffic calming measures to stop the lorries."

Canvey East councillor Lionel Hart said the council would be monitoring the traffic using the road before deciding what calming measures were needed.

He said: "The bulk of the lorries seem to be using the road as a short-cut to the Thorney Bay development."

Though he added: "It worries me that if parked cars are staggered down May Avenue then it could pose problems for ambulances and fire appliances."

Published Friday, January 24, 2003

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