A campaigning former councillor has called for support to give Castle Point its own identity.

Terry Norman, who lost his seat at the local elections last May, is urging people to stand up and take pride in their borough.

He has written to the council to try to get Castle Point recognised as an identity in its own right and is also appealing for residents to use it as a postal address.

Mr Norman of Thameside Crescent, Canvey, said: "Because Castle Point is not used in addresses to and from the borough we have no identity.

"When councillors go to conferences or seminars, the first question asked is 'Where is Castle Point?', isn't it about time Castle Point claimed its identity?"

Mr Norman, who was a Labour councillor for four years, wants people to start using the borough by its name.

However, his idea was today dismissed as "tinpot" by Castle Point mayor Tony Hurd.

Mr Hurd said: "Castle Point is the identity of the constituency. Everyone knows where Canvey and Benfleet are and most people in Parliament have heard of Castle Point. This is a bit of a tinpot idea.

"I do not feel there is a problem with the identity at all. I think Mr Norman is just clutching at straws."

Councillor Dennis Williams (Lab, Canvey North) said Castle Point was still relatively new as a borough.

He said: "At the end of the day people who live on Canvey will say so because that is their heritage.

"That goes back a long way and will never be forgotten. History speaks for itself."

But Christine Butler, Labour MP for Castle Point, said it would be nice to have instant recognition for the borough.

She said: "I regularly have to explain where Castle Point is and the fact that it is made up of Canvey, Benfleet, Thundersley and Hadleigh.

"Most Westminster seats, though not all, have names after the postal districts. This is an interesting question."

Ditching Canvey, Thundersley, Benfleet and Hadleigh for the borough name of Castle Point could cause headaches for Royal Mail.

Sending letters to, for example, High Road, Castle Point, may not get to the intended destination because there is more than one road of that name in the borough.

There are also two high streets in Hadleigh and Thundersley.

Fame of area spreads far and wide

Despite Castle Point having only a 25-year history as a borough, the area is famous for a number of different reasons.

Several people from the district have become national stars and various places around the area are steeped in history:

Canvey decathlete Dean Macey, won silver medal in the Athletic World Championships in Seville last August

The Lobster Smack Inn in Haven Road, Canvey, is mentioned in Charles Dickens' novel Great Expectations when he referred to its four-poster beds

Canvey is home to Europe's longest jetty. It starts at Northwick Road and stretches to a deep part of the Thames

Castle Point is one of only a handful of authorities not named after a geographical area. Instead its name comes from Hadleigh Castle and The Point on Canvey

Castle Point has had more lottery winners than anywhere else in Essex. Four jackpot winners have been created in the borough and another four have matched five numbers and the bonus ball

70s' rhythm and blues band Dr Feelgood are from Canvey

Hadleigh Castle was painted by John Constable over 150 years ago

More passengers use Benfleet station than any other on the LTS line - about 3,000 daily

The ghost of Lady Emma Hamilton, Admiral Nelson's lover is rumoured to haunt the Benfleet Conservative Club. The ghostly spirit is said to wander the corridors in search of her naval hero after they met at the former manor house in the High Street

Nearly 60 people died on Canvey in 1953 when the island was flooded causing widespread damage.

Bestselling novelist and writer of TV drama The Jump, Martina Cole lives in Thundersley

Canvey woman Jane Root took over as BBC 2 controller last year.

St James the Less Church in London Road, Hadleigh, built about 1130, is one of four churches in England with a rare Norman recess with an arched roof.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.