FAMILIES are living in the dark and in danger due to unadopted roads and “something must be done now”, a councillor has claimed.

Councillor Bill Dick has submitted an urgent motion calling on Castle Point Council to petition Essex County Council to take responsibility for the roads – once and for all.

An unadopted road is a road not managed by a local authority, meaning Essex County Council is not required to make any repairs.

There are up to 40 of these on Canvey – and even more in Thundersley and Benfleet.

The motion to the council states: “We call on Essex County Council to use its best endeavours to regularise the situation on street lighting on unadopted roads to that enjoyed by the rest of the residents of the borough.”

And Mr Dick added: “They have taken a service away, but the residents still pay the same council tax.

“These residents have been left in the dark, and if they want street lights, they are told it is on them to replace them.

“They should be replacing the bulbs, it is not that much work.

“As far as I am concerned, if the county council wants to stick to this, the residents should have reduced council tax.

“Or we, as a council, should be able to replace those bulbs and then charge it back to the county council.

“Everyone should have the same service for the same money.”

Unadopted roads are also plagued with potholes and residents have regularly raised concerns they were being left in darkness and forgotten about, causing danger for pedestrians and cyclists while damaging cars.

Resident George Whatley, 76, of Limburg Road, isn’t happy.

He told the Echo: “It’s all about saving money and cuts on top of cuts on top of cuts and we are being forgotten.

“We are being actively ignored and it is getting too much for us.

“We have enough our own issues, we can barely walk down the road without being caught out by potholes, now we are supposed to navigate the road in the dark.

“It has got beyond a joke now, it is a pantomime.”

The motion will be discussed on Wednesday.