Someone will be killed or seriously injured if a junction to the A127 is not closed, petitioners have warned.

Residents living on Oakwood Avenue, in Southend, and the surrounding area have made the stark warning in a second petition to Southend Council which calls for the "total closure" of the junction, which they claim has made the road into a rat run.

The petition says use of the road as a shortcut is a “blight on all the residents lives” and the council should "do the right thing and close the road".

When the first petition was submitted two months ago councillors refused to take any action because of the Kent Elms junction work which they said is causing more vehicles to use the road than usual.

However, residents say motorists have been using the road as a shortcut to the A127 for many years and it has become a safety concern.

In their latest petition they have expanded their calls for a road closure by also asking for the closure of Shirley Road, which runs adjacent to Oakwood Avenue and also links to the A127.

It states: “All vehicles, large and small, joining and leaving the A127 from Oakwood Avenue and Shirley road cause vehicles on the A127 to slow down thus causing bunching behind and the possibility of a tailgating incident."