A new system of marking car parks on a housing estate costs next to nothing - but could save lives.

The 26 car parks around the edges of the Five Links estate in Laindon have been marked with giant letters.

Kick-started by the police, the scheme saw two-metre high letters painted on the surface for just a few pounds when Basildon District Council refreshed the regular space markings.

Ambulance staff say the new marks could save vital minutes - and lives - for emergency services trying to get to hard-to-find homes. PC Bret Mercer, Laindon's community liaison officer, said he and Det Insp Bob Chatterton, of Basildon, thought the idea up while discussing the Five Links.

He said: "It will help us with crime prevention because we'll get there quicker, and also with crime analysis, because we'll record which areas report the most crime. We'll be able to use the helicopter to track people more easily - the letters can be seen at 1,500ft.

"I also think residents will find it helps when family and friends are visiting, because they'll just be able to guide people to a certain car park.

"It's a very simple idea, but it can be adapted, and maybe used on other estates."

Nick Booth, assistant divisional controller for the Essex Ambulance Service, said: "We whole-heartedly support the idea, which will also help the air ambulance.

"Five Links has always been a slightly difficult place to get exact locations on, and it will be good to have a definite location point.

"It could make a huge difference - it is believed that, in a cardiac arrest situation, every minute longer that we take to get there reduces the patient's chances by ten per cent."

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