A CALL has been made for Thurrock Council contractors to return to a busy Stanford-le-Hope road for a fourth time to complete a controversial road resurfacing scheme.

Earlier this month Thurrock Nub News reported on the resurfacing project on London Road when contractors working under the direction of Thurrock Council took two days to resurface the road around its junctions with Butts Lane and Stanford Road but left without reinstating speed bumps and road markings.

They returned a couple of days later to repaint the road markings – then came back on another day to reinstate the half dozen or so speed bumps.

Though the council said the work was paid for as 'a job lot', and there was no additional cost to the council it made little sense to residents not to do all the work at the same time and there was general conjecture that the contractors appeared to be stretching the work out with a view to enhancing the value of the overall contract by extending the number of hours and days worked.

This was steadfastly denied by the council who said the deal was struck under all the appropriate procurement requirements and the council were on top of the project.

But it turns out not so much on top as to check that the work was done correctly - and that might well have proved a mistake with serious consequences.

Residents of London Road who use a spur road to their homes close to the junction with Stanford Road (A1013) can only enter and exit their premises via an angled slip road and relied on a clearly marked 'keep clear' area to enable them to be able to cross traffic.

The road markings have not been reinstated, and that, says one resident nearly caused a crash.

Gary Masters says that the junction, which has always been one to approach with 'ultimate caution', is now very dangerous without the markings and he says his wife and child only narrowly avoiding being 'wiped out'.

"She was driving home and turned into London Road from Stanford Road where she then has to make a sharp right turn. The entry should always be left clear and queuing traffic coming out of London Road should leave a gap, but the markings have not been put back.

"Because cars were in the way because there is nothing telling them not to be she had to wait in the middle of the road and a vehicle coming at pace around the corner clearly didn't anticipate a vehicle being there and a collision at speed was only missed by the narrowest of margins.

"It is very dangerous and it seems inconceivable that the council haven't insisted the road safety markings have been put back. Do my wife and child have to be injured or worse before someone at the council does their job properly?"

In addition to the 'keep clear' markings the contractors have also omitted to reinstate filter lanes for a left or right turn onto the A1013.