Police in Billericay are to improve links with schools in the town - in a bid to cut out worrying parking problems outside them.

Councillors and police officers have been inundated with complaints about problems with parking around schools during opening and closing times.

Particularly hard hit have been St John's School in Stock Road, where traffic is regularly reduced to single file on the busy road, and Sunnymede School, outside which some buses have been having problems with access.

Speaking at the annual town meeting at the Chantry Way day centre, Billericay police chief Insp Steve Tutton said liaison with headteachers and local councils could be the best way to solve the problem.

He said stationing extra officers in the area was not always the best answer - and that Billericay simply didn't have the resources to be able to do that on a regular basis.

He said: "We need to work with the schools and the council to help improve this situation. We can do our bit by putting out tickets on cars but that is only part of the answer.

"It's a symptom of Billericay being such a prosperous area - a lot of families have two or three cars and are using them to drop their children off at school."

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