A leading councillor has branded Canvey the ‘pothole capital of Essex’ after growing frustrated with a lack of action on the island.

A host of roads across the island are pothole ridden, with regular complaints of potholes damaging vehicles, as well as houses on the High Street allegedly ‘shaking’ every time someone drives over one.

Leader of the Canvey Independent Party, Dave Blackwell, and fellow Independent Party councillor, Peter May, insist they have raised the issue with the county council’s highways department - to no avail.

Mr Blackwell highlighted the High Street, Grafton Road, Labworth Road, and parts of Thorney Road as the worst offenders, but insisted it is an issue across the island.

A number of unadopted roads on Canvey, including Limburg Road, are also blighted by potholes.

Those will not be fixed by the county council.

Rachel Morrison, 49, of Furtherwick Road, said: “We have always had a lot of potholes, and most of them seem to go unfixed.

"At the turn of the year, I actually burst one of my tyres on one of the potholes on the High Street, and then I pay out to get it fixed.

“We are always saying it, but Canvey gets forgotten about, and this is another example.”

Mr Blackwell said: “It seems that Canvey has been totally ignored by Essex County Council’s highways department.

“Constant of reporting of serious potholes by myself and councillor Peter May and residents have fallen, it seems, on deaf ears. There are serious potholes which are damaging vehicles.

"The High Street has a serious defect in the main road that is shaking houses causing structural damage.

“Grafton Road and Labworth Road look like a war zone. Right across the island there are craters in the roads. And we have our MP in the press thanking the government for extra money for potholes - where is it then?”