RESIDENTS are celebrating after winning their year-long battle to stop cars driving up and down a footpath.

Essex County Council has spent £1,000 on bollards at the corner of Southwell Link, on the Five Links estate, in Laindon, after being inundated with phone calls, emails and letters.

Five Links Residents’ Association led the campaign after becoming increasingly frustrated with cars, lorries and even ice cream vans using the footpath as a road in a bid to get closer to houses.

Streets on the estate are laid out as courtyards, with various communal car parks dotted around the outskirts.

The centre of the estate is out of bounds for vehicles, but many drivers were finding their way in through the wide path in Southwell Link.

Pat O’Connor, secretary of the residents’ association, said it was an “accident waiting to happen.”

She added: “Everyone in the area has been very anxious because cars were just cutting across the corner of pavement, it was very dangerous.

We’ve been fighting to get bollards installed for the past year, and we’re delighted we have finally had success.”

John James, chairman of the group, said: “We have to get a key so emergency vehicles can get on to the estate, but lorries and cars were just doing what they wanted and using the footpath as an access road, because it’s pretty wide.

“This will make a big difference for us.”

Mark Ellis, Ukip county councillor for Laindon Park and Fryerns, was able to persuade his cross-party colleagues on Basildon’s local highways panel to recommend the bollards, and Rodney Bass, Essex councillor responsible for highways, signed the scheme off.

Mr Ellis said: “Delivery lorries and other vehicles want to get as close as possible to the front doors, but it’s caused damage to the path and it had to stop.

“This has been going on a long time and it’s been a struggle, which is frustrating considering we’re not talking about a lot of money, but we got there in the end.”