The following letter was published in the Echo this week:

We have just returned from a holiday in Southend to revisit my old haunts – I was born and bred in Southend in the 1950s and 60s.

As I used to do as a teenager, we cycled along Sutton Road from the East Street roundabout to Rochford.

What a nightmare!

What used to be a quiet country road is obviously now a major thoroughfare, with what looks like the same road configuration as the 1960s.

When we cycled along the road, we had a long stream of cars behind us struggling to overtake, and hurling abuse at us, saying we should cycle on the footway.

When we did this, it is so narrow that we were assailed on one side by cars coming so close their wing mirrors nearly knocked us off, and, on the other side, we were scratched to death by very overgrown foliage blocking this totally inadequate footway.

This road badly needs clearing and widening – with an extended footway for both pedestrians and cyclists to use safely.

Why is your local authority not addressing this problem?

There was no cycle track here apart from a very short stretch near the cemetery. Southend is dreadful for cycling – no wonder hardly anyone seems to use bicycles.

Otherwise, we had a lovely time – although the High Street really does need a revamp.

Linda Keen