FADED road markings have made residential streets an accident waiting to waiting, campaigners claim.

There are calls for Essex County Council to repaints lines in Moreland Avenue, Benfleet, and its side roads following a string of crashes. One even prompted to road’s closure in March last year.

Steven Cole, of Moreland Avenue, believes there has been a crash once every few months. He is leading the calls for renewed road markings - which he believes are to blame.

Mr Cole, a Tory councillor for St George’s ward, said: “It is like we are prepared for a crash regularly now, and we are getting fed up of it.

“There are five schools in the area, and we have to make sure it’s a safe place for families.

“It’s like we have been forgotten in all honesty by Essex County Council and it has to stop. This is why the accidents are being caused, particularly at the mini roundabout with Eversley Road.

Joe Cooke, also of Moreland Avenue, concurred with Mr Cole and says accidents are all too familiar.

Mr Cooke, who stood as the Labour parliamentary candidate for Castle Point in this year’s general election, said: “It needs to have reconstructed mini roundabouts, the ones which are slightly raised.

“Both me and my daughter, who lives near the Eversley Road mini roundabout,, have seen how bad it has got.

“Not too long ago there was a situation where a car was flipped on its side.

“People are driving straight over them without stopping, and it is becoming all too familiar and is always an accident waiting to happen.”

In February 2015 emergency services were called twice in just 16 hours to the junction between Moreland Avenue and Eversley Road as a result of crashes.

In the first incident, police and paramedics were called to the junction during the morning school run. It followed a collision the day before in which two children and one adult were treated at the scene.

A spokesman for Essex Highways said: “Markings at this crossroads have been logged for repair and work will be carried out as soon as possible within the next few days.”