Southend Council is trailing behind a neighbouring authority when it comes to being computer ready for the year 2000.

Work on Civic Centre computer systems needs to stay on track if it is to beat the millennium bug.

The only south Essex council which is ready for the year 2000 in Castle Point.

Government figures show the council was in the top three local authorities for the whole of the eastern region in preparing for the bug and was one of only 23 councils out of 320 across the country.

A spokesman for the Department of Environment, Transport and Regions (DETR) said around 98 per cent of local authorities were on track to beat the challenge of the millennium bug but few were in the clear.

There are three states of millennium bug readiness.

Blue means there is no risk of disruption, amber means some problems are outstanding and red warns of severe risk of disruption.

In the Eastern region - which includes Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire - only Castle Point, Bedford and Epping Forest were given the blue light.

Southend, Basildon and Thurrock councils are lagging behind at the amber stage and work is being carried out to bring their computer systems up to scratch.

Mike Pressling, media spokesman for Southend Council, said: "We have already set up a co-ordinating group to deal with our own information technology internal systems and the potential impact on direct services, such as heating in old people's homes or schools.

"We are drawing up contingency plans and the group is constantly reporting back to members and is confident that everything will be ready prior to January 1, 2000."

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