Moves to stop cruising on Southend seafront should be in place before next summer.

Councillors were today due to urge changes on Western Esplanade to prevent the highly dangerous antics of boys racers who gather late at night.

The move is in response to police and public concern that if nothing is done it will only be a matter of time before someone is killed.

Last week an undercover police operation had to be abandoned and uniformed officers drafted in after displays of diabolical driving and speeds well in excess of 50mph.

It was feared that unless the drivers were stopped they would injure either themselves or someone else.

The problems cruisers cause with their speeding and handbrake turns on Eastern and Western Esplanade is not new. Neither is it an easy problem to tackle.

Now Southend police have called on the council to help them put the brakes on the dangerous late night activities.

They want restrictions - such as those put in place during the airshow - to be brought into force on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Members of the traffic and parking management sub committee will tonight vote to urge measures are taken before summer 2000.

Temporary barriers would be installed to:

Close the southern carriageway of Western Esplanade, with the northern side operating two way.

Reorganise parking to include the central reservation and the southern carriageway with vehicles parking parallel to the Esplanade and with barriers between blocks of parking to prevent late night racing across the parking area.

Close the northern carriageway and lay-bys of Marine Parade and pedestrianise it, with the southern carriageway operating two way.

Council officer James Westgate said: "The police are concerned that with the high speed racing and 'spectators' in large numbers there could soon be a serious or fatal injury accident.

"They are also worried that intervention policing might precipitate such an accident or significant public disorder."

He added: "The matter needs to be properly examined and funding opportunities sought as continued racing on the seafront could have a negative effect on the public perception of the town, as well as being a parking and safety problem."

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