RESIDENTS are furious plans to ban parking in their road could be back on.

Last year, people in Bowman Avenue and Cornec Chase, Eastwood, responded angrily when they were consulted about plans for double yellow lines for both sides of their roads.

The proposal was mooted after concerns were raised by the fire service about access down the roads due to poor parking.

Residents were led to believe these concerns had been dealt with when the fire service said by using fire hydrants on the A127 they would not need to access the roads. But the issue has been raised again.

Sally Whitmore, of Bowman Avenue, said: “This is crazy, where do they expect us to park? This would just shunt the parking problems around the corner.

“People do sometimes park badly on the corners but all it would need is double yellows on one side of the road, or on corners. There are other solutions to this. The pavement is extra wide and could be narrowed.Rubbish trucks get down the road, so a fire engine should.”

Eastwood ward councillor Chris Walker said: “It’s stupid to ban parking, it would move the problem to another road.

“That road is served by Rayleigh Weir fire station who would come down the A127, down the cycle track where the hydrants are, and there’s unlimited easy access to the roads. The question of access through Bowman and Cornec just would not arise.

“If they do need more room, then the council should make the grass area between the houses and A127 a car park.”

Zulfiqar Ali, strategic highways and traffic manager for Southend Council, said no decision had yet been made on whether to paint double yellow lines on Bowman Avenue.

He said: “Residents park their cars on both sides of these streets and the fire service was concerned that, due to the narrow nature of the streets, they might not be able to get access in the event of an incident.

“Following residents’ objections, the Traffic and Parking Working Party decided to refer the matter back to the fire service and it was decided not to proceed with double yellow lines in Cornec Chase.

“We are still waiting to hear from them in relation to Bowman Avenue.

“The council has a duty to listen to its residents but we have to balance their views with the very real safety issues involved.”