FEARS have been raised teachers at a Westcliff school will struggle to get to and from work if a council revamp of parking is approved.

Southend Council has unveiled plans of extending the current resident-only parking zones in Milton Ward into Avenue Terrace, St Vincent’s Road, Canewdon Road, and St Helens Road among other roads.

Teachers at nearby St Bernard’s High School fear the 9am – 6pm restrictions will leave them facing long walks to and from their vehicles and hefty parking bills.

“The council haven’t considered teachers at all,” a teacher who wished to remain anonymous said.

“They have said teachers should just use the available council car parks but there are massive issues with that. They are quite a distance away, and some teachers will struggle to carry their books and marking to and from their cars.

They added: “Parking for a week would cost between £60 and £90 and not everyone can afford that kind of money.

The plans, which are currently open for public consultation until January 7, are not set in stone, the council insists, adding it would await feedback before pushing forward with the proposals.

“For many teachers at St Bernard’s driving is the only suitable method of transport to work,” the exasperated teacher continued, lamenting the “limited bus services” in the area.

Councillor Ron Woodley, cabinet member for transport, asset management and inward investment, said: “We are currently carrying out a statutory consultation with residents and businesses regarding the possibility of designating Milton Road, among other roads in the area, as resident permit zones.

“This follows on from an informal consultation held last year, which shows respondents to be in favour of designating the areas as resident permit zones. This consultation has been requested by local ward councillors acting on behalf of their residents, and I would urge any resident or business in the area to respond to the statutory consultation in the appropriate way, in writing by the closing date.

“It is important to stress that no decision has been made as of yet. We are required to gauge the views of residents and businesses which is why the consultation has been launched.”