FIFTEEN years after Thurrock Council laid down rules preventing people from creating permanent roadside memorials to people who have been killed in accident or other incidents, Thurrock council says it is planning to come up with a revised policy – though it seems little has actually changed since the original ruling back in 2006!

Members of next week's Cleaner, Greener and Safer Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday 14 December will be asked to make a decision on what officers say are 'revised plans' relating to the council's roadside memorial policy.

Councillors will hear it will prevent 'potentially dangerous or obstructive memorials from being left on the borough's roads and pavements'.

Cabinet member for environment Cllr Andrew Jefferies says: "We fully understand, appreciate and are sensitive to the fact that some families want to mourn the loss of a loved one by leaving flowers, mementos and tributes at the site but this needs to be balanced with safety concerns for other road users.

"While we will allow flowers and other tributes to be laid temporarily, in safe locations that do not cause a hazard to access, we will always act to remove unauthorised memorials from council owned land to keep our roads safe and will remove all temporary memorials after 30 days.

"The last thing anyone would want is for there to be an accident with someone laying tributes being injured or vehicles passing being involved in another accident as they are in some way obstructed.

"This proposed revised policy aims to balance the needs of families and loved ones and ensure they have an opportunity to grieve without impacting others' safety. We will do all we can with our partners in Essex Police to locate the family of those have lost their lives to pass on any non-floral tributes after 30 days. We will then work with families that would like to establish permanent memorials of remembrance, such as benches or trees, at suitable locations with all the required permissions."

The opportunity to create permanent memorials appears to be the only difference between the policy laid down in 2006, though even then reference was made to the option of memorial trees and benches away from the dangers of the highway.

One tribute that has stood in place since 2015 may be affected by the new ruling.

A motorbike has been placed on the corner of New Road and Sherfield Road, in the shadow of the council's civic offices, since the summer of 2015.

It was created at the scene where motorcyclist Zach Smallcombe, 27, died in a road accident. Flowers, candles, pictures and beer cans are among the many items, as well as the bike, which remain at the site.

As with several other memorials across the borough, the council has not taken any action to remove the tributes since the previous ruling.

In 2006 the press reported: "Thurrock Council has decided to introduce a ban to prevent mourners from getting injured as they visit the memorials, particularly on the borough's busiest roads.

"The council has also decided not to allow flowers or tributes to be left at death scenes on the most dangerous stretches of roads.

Wendy Bibby, the council's street service's manager, said: "Unfortunately the placing of flowers (at the scene of accidents) has become more frequent in Thurrock.

"While we respect the need for people to grieve and the sensitivity this brings, we need to look at the health and safety aspect. Other people are putting their lives at risk to place flowers at the scene."

The council will not allow permanent memorials of any kind to be placed at the scene of a fatal accident and instead will offer relatives the opportunity of a memorial tree or bench.