Oh what silly people we are here in Southend.

Fancy trying to drive home from work or travel to a meeting by car last Monday evening when the wrong kind of snow was falling, especially after the national and local media had warned all day of severe weather conditions.

Was it too much to expect the local authority to have taken note and done its job properly earlier in the day?

Then there is the case of not playing with the traffic in the correct fashion while in the so-called shared space areas of Victoria Circus or the seafront.

After shopping on Wednesday morning, my wife and I decided we would take a walk along the seafront.

Some distance east from the bottom of Pier Hill, we decided not for the first time to put the concept of shared space to the test again, only to be hooted cursed and waved at by drivers who clearly were not interested in participating in our experiment and according to one, thought we were on a suicide mission.

Taking account of incidents at both locations during the past 12 months, I do wonder whether Mr Holdcroft and Mr Cox have ever made an attempt to chance their lives or those of their families at either of these sites at the busiest times of the day.

I suspect not. I, along with many other drivers, take exception to the comments of Holdcroft and Cox about our driving abilities and the use of proper tyres.

Do they seriously believe we should change all the tyres on our vehicles before leaving home because the weather forecast indicates inclement conditions?

As a council tax payer in this town, I expect my council to act responsibly and provide the service expected. This means working overnight to ensure the roads are safe the following morning.

May I suggest, before Holdcroft and Cox make any more silly remarks about the people of Southend, some of whom voted them into office, they should think about their ability to manage.

John Cole

Dering Crescent

Leigh