THURROCK Council's traffic enforcement team turned up today to alert dodgy parkers about their misdemeanours as they drop children of at a village school.

The only problem was it's half term and the school is closed.

A resident of Hillcrest Avenue in Horndon on the Hill said: "You couldn't make it up! We have lots of traffic problems in the village, particularly because of the A13 widening project now when it's used as a rat run to avoid the roadworks, but we rarely see any traffic enforcement.

"Yet on a lovely day with no traffic, four of them are deployed to watch nothing."

A spokesperson for the school said: "It's a little unfortunate that they were there when there are no children or cars but we are grateful for the intention at least."