STANDSTILL traffic for hours over what seems like endless roadworks, a picture all too many in south Essex can relate too.

Rayleigh and Wickford MP Mark Francois has made it his mission to tackle the regularity with which roadworks gridlock the region’s road.

Yesterday, the Consvative MP published his Roadworks (Regulation) Bill, which is designed to curtail the seemingly endless increase of roadworks an “can the cones.”

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The bill, which has the “full support” of the AA, was first presented to the House of Commons late last year.

“One of the great frustrations of modern life is queueing for ages in a line of traffic, inching forwards to get through a set of contra-flow traffic lights at the scene of some roadworks, only to then crawl past a large hole in the ground, heavily coned off, with absolutely no one working on the site, as you finally drive past it,” Mr Francois said.

“Although it is rare for ten minute rule bills to make it onto the statute book, I do hope that during my meeting with the roads ninister, Richard Holden MP, the department may adopt the legislation, or at the very least, strengthen government guidance, so that we can finally can the cones!”

The bill would seek to give highways authorities stronger powers to control the granting of permits to anyone who wanted to dig up the highway network for works.

If approved, it would also mandate highway authorities to take all practicable steps to “deconflict” roadworks in their areas, whilst also materially increasing the fines for roadworks that overrun by up to 10 per cent of company turnover for persistent offenders.

It support from several Essex MPs where, according to recent figures, over a 12-month period 77,000 streets and roadworks have been affected, making it the most dug up part of the UK.

Castle Point MP Rebecca Harris has backed her fellow Tory-MP on the bill.

“Castle Point has suffered massively from overrunning roadworks in the past,” she said.

“It wasn’t until I secured a face-to-face meeting with a managing director of Balfour Beattie that we finally got an end date for Sadlers Farm. Mark is right to highlight this as a very important issue.”

Southend West MP Anna Firth says the issue of incessant roadworks has also caused her constituents problems.

She said:  “Southend is a busy city, with hundreds of people on our roads every day – we all know how highways works can bring us all to a standstill.

“Having more control over these works, and engagement at a local level, is key to reducing its impacts. Therefore, I warmly welcome Mark’s efforts in this important area.”

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, said: "Excessive and overrunning roadworks cause congestion, more emissions, create driver frustration and have a detrimental cost to both the local and the national economy.

"Roadworks are a necessary evil, however, poor standards mean they can easily become a negative experience.

"While Private Members Bills have limited chances of success on their own, we are hopeful that it will be adopted by the Department for Transport."

Following its first reading in the House of Commons under the ten minute rule, the bill is currently due to receive its second reading on Friday, March 24.