A FORMER social club turned storage site is being lived on and used illegally, it is claimed.

Families have been complaining about activities at the site off Vanguard Way, Shoebury, for more than two years.

Southend Council officers have recommended enforcement action is taken at the site against an increasing number of alleged breaches.

It is claimed a caravan is being used to live in on the site, fires are being started and work is taking place at all hours.

Complaints date back to August 2017 and began with the installation of a metal fence eventually escalating to concerns about a person living on the site in a caravan and the illegal addition of metal storage sheds and storage areas for scaffolding.

A report, to go before the council’s development committee, states: “It is apparent from the nature, range and persistent pattern of breaches identified that the site is currently being poorly managed and that, despite the site owner stating that they would address the breaches through appropriate communication with the individual lessees of the yards within the overall site, they have shown little or no regard for the amenity of the local residents and future occupiers of the unauthorised caravan.

“Efforts to bring these ongoing breaches under control by regular contact with the site owner have not resulted in any improvement in the situation.

“Rather the original breaches of conditions have continued and new breaches, including further unauthorised operational development, have been identified. These are exacerbating the harm to the amenity of nearby residents.”

As part of the enforcement action the council’s planning team is calling for the site to no longer be used as a storage yard until all these conditions have been met, as well as ordering an end of the burning of material and overnight residential use.

The documents add: “In view of the protracted period for which these unresolved breaches have continued and the nature and impact of continuing harm which it is causing, it is considered necessary and justified to take enforcement action.”