THE key to a lasting marriage must be living in Hullbridge - if three happy couples are anything to go by.
The neighbours, who all live in Burnham Road, are celebrating milestone wedding anniversaries this year.
Shirley and Keith Layen will mark their 40th anniversary, while Jean and Ray Fuller celebrate their 45th and Pat and John Austin their 50th.
Mr Fuller, 72, said they had been happy living in the road for 35 years after moving there from Ilford.
They have two sons, Neil and Paul, and two grandsons, Callum, eight, and Jamie, five.
They celebrate their anniversary in September.
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Mr Fuller said: "It's nice when you get good neighbours. Hullbridge is a very friendly sort of village and it always has been."
Although the families had known each other for years, Mr Fuller was surprised to find their anniversaries were all coming up at once.
He said: "We asked if it was this year or next year. As it turned out it all lined up."
Mr and Mrs Austin moved from Plumstead, South London, in 1968 and had two boys - Ian and Nigel - followed by grandsons, Christopher, 14, and Nicholas, 17. Their golden wedding was last month.
Mrs Austin, 69, said the secret to their long-lasting marriage had been plenty of arguments along the way.
She said: "Telling one another what you actually think, which a lot of people don't do now days, is the key. You should be truthful with one another so you can talk it out."
The youngest couple, Shirley Layen, 60, and her husband Keith, 63, will celebrate their milestone in June.
They also met in London before moving to Hawkwell to have their children Mandy and Dean, and grand-daughter Katy, seven.
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