CAMPAIGNERS warn a pelican crossing is an accident waiting to happen as motorists continually mount the pavement in order to go to the shops.

Drivers have been seen ignoring the pelican crossing in Long Road, Canvey near Bargain Booze and using the crossing as an access road.

Former highways engineer Roy Hatfield and Ray Howard, deputy county councillor for Essex Highways say action needs to be taken to stop an accident.

Mr Howard said: “People are mounting it to go into the shops and I’m getting lots of complaints about how dangerous that is because of near accidents there.

“Vehicles are using the drop kerb of the pelican crossing to get on the forecourt of the shops, it’s dangerous and we’ve got to act.”

Bollards, barriers and higher kerbs have all been floated as a solution to the problem which has caused problems for pedestrians during the school run.

Mr Howard said: “We don’t want to take any business away from local shops but we need to sort out the traffic.

“One young lad, he’s only five and he had a near miss with a car. He was waiting at the crossing with his grandma on the pelican crossing and then someone came along and drove up the section of the kerb, where the people were standing, to get onto the forecourt.”

Engineers from Essex Highways are expected to visit the crossing to come up with a solution.

Mr Hatfield, 78, of Janette Avenue, Canvey said: “Cars are going across the crossing as an access, there’s obviously a problem there.

“They come up over the kerb and from 3pm to 3.45pm there’s mums, dads and children all walking along there.

“The cars are not going so far as to attack them but they slow down and start to edge across, holding up the traffic and going over the kerb.

“It’s only going to take one slip of the clutch or something and something is going to happen and they’re going to knock someone down.

“Police should be enforcing the fact cars are moving the across the zig zag lines but we can’t have the police up there all the time.”