COUNCILLORS are pushing for a narrow Canvey road where a lorry got stuck for six hours to be widened.

The truck got stuck, trying to turn at the junction of Foksville Road and Furtherwick Road at about 11.30am on Wednesday, bringing traffic on the busy route to a virtual halt.

It blocked one lane, causing chaos to nearby roads and preventing motorists from getting along the road until about 6pm.

It was the third such incident at the junction in the past year.

Canvey Island Independent Party councillors Martin Tucker and Dave Blackwell claim the county council had already agreed to improve the road, but hold-ups over Castle Point Council town centre regeneration plans delayed the work.

Mr Tucker said: “It was something that was waiting to happen.

“The regeneration plan has gone on for the past five-and-a-half years and still there has been no progress.”

Castle Point’s regeneration partnership wants to change the road layout as part of plans to modernise the town centre.

Mr Tucker added: “The road is narrow and the partnership wants two-way traffic. This is just impractical.

It’s just frustrating. Why is the regeneration taking so long?”

Town councillor Janice Payne said: “That road is very narrow and traffic can easily turn into gridlock.

“It’s just awkward. It really needs to be looked into, buses struggle to get past there, as well.

“An option would be to make the junction wider, but they would need the barriers there for safety. They are there to protect the footpath.”

Mr Blackwell, who leads the Canvey Island Independent Party’s group on the borough council, wants the road widened.

He said: “We had a lorry crash into the fence just last year. It caused so much chaos it held the road up for hours.

“We have been going on about this issue for a long time now.

“Money needs to be spent on this junction and action needs to be taken to widen the road.

“What happened could have been dangerous if someone had been standing near the crossing, close to the junction.”