AMBITIOUS plans for an electric tram system could ease congestion and encourage daytrippers to hop on board from Shoebury to Chalkwell, business leaders say.

Southend’s eight miles of beaches attract millions of sunseekers every year, and families could soon be seeing electric trams chugging quietly along the promenade.

Business bosses hope the plan to bring electric trams to south Essex and the seafront, would help spread visitors out, as part of a park-and-ride scheme.

Tram stops could pepper the seafront, making travel easier.

It comes after the Echo revealed the Association of South Essex Local Authorities - a powerful group made up of council leaders - wants to spearhead an electric tram scheme, which could criss-cross the A127.

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Jacqui Dallimore, managing director of the Roslin Hotel and chair of the Southend Tourism Partnership, believes the tram plan would boost the town’s visitor economy.

She said: “It would be amazing.

“We want to be spreading people right out across the seafront, not just in the middle section, which is always rammed.

“This would help achieve that.

“If it could work as a park-and-ride scheme, where you can park at any car park, and hop on and off at any stop along the seafront, hat would be unreal.

“The stops don’t have to be massive, just a small platform where you can get on and off quickly.

“It would also help ease traffic, which is a huge problem.”

She hopes introducing the trams would stop drivers moving around the town in cars.

“I would only be supportive of the plans if the trams were electric”, she added.

Council officers are looking into whether trams could be used along the seafront.

The officers planning the project have been told to “treat Southend like a blank canvas”, and not to rule out installing tram lines in the town centre or along the seafront.

The aim is to increase the connectivity of towns in the region, from Wickford down to Southend.

“Transport hubs” would be used as tram stations.

The plan has the backing of Glyn Jones, chief executive of Esken, which owns Southend Airport.

A tram station has also been touted for the airport.

Mr Jones said: “We would be keen to be part of an integrated transport network, and would be really supportive of it.

“We’re trying to get passenger to go right into Southend, rather than left into London, and this would help with that. We would be really interested in having some sort of station, once we’re able to start growing again.

“If we can get employees coming to work on the trams, that would be excellent. It’s exactly what we want to be encouraging.”

Trams in south Essex were first touted by the former leader of Basildon Council, Gavin Callaghan, who had formulated a plan for the electric vehicles in the town centre.