DRUG dealing, loud music and reckless boy racers performing doughnuts in a car park are giving residents headaches and causing sleepless nights.

Families living near Southchurch park car park, off Northumberland Crescent, are at the end of their tether with music blaring from modified cars into the early hours of the morning.

Throughout the summer months, families with young children and elderly residents are kept up throughout the night.

Southend Council has refused to lock the park overnight, but has confirmed it will upgrade CCTV and install bollards and speed bumps.

Alison Benjamin, 50, who lives opposite the car park, said: “It’s been going on for two years, and nothing has been done. It’s actually getting worse.

“We were told when they repaired the gates a few months ago that it would be locked, but it hasn’t.”

She added: “One of my neighbours tried to challenged them the other night. There was a lot of shouting and I thought he was going to be beaten up. They started threatening him.

“It’s so obvious what they’re doing. They flash their lights and a cyclist comes along to pick things up.”

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Leaving the gates open at night has prompted fury from a leading Conservative councillor Daniel Nelson.

He said: “It’s ludicrous. Every other park is locked, even the one that’s just yards away. I don’t see why they can’t lock this one too.”

A small number of vehicles are seen in the car park on an almost daily basis.

Police have been seen attending the car park, but residents believe it’s “too late” when they arrive.

A spokesperson for Southend Council, said: “Southchurch Park has been open 24 hours a day for many years. This is the same position with all the main parks in the town.

“The council is committed to making the most of all its assets including its parks and closing some of them at night clearly removes this opportunity.

“The council has recently reviewed the parking area at Southchurch Park and starting this week, will be installing additional measures, including bollards and speed ramps to encourage visitors to drive in a safe manner. The CCTV in the park will also be upgraded as part of our CCTV investment programme.”