THE leader of Thurrock Council's opposition group and a Grays councillor himself, whose ward borders a problematic industrial area, has echoed a call for change made in the wake of a huge fire yesterday (Monday, 27 June).

The blaze at the Globe Estate has brought its problems back into sharp focus and last night the leader of the council, Cllr Rob Gledhill, said it was time to rethink the site's viability.

This morning Cllr John Kent says he too thinks the time has come for change - and in the interim there needs to be much more enforcement to alleviate traffic problems.

Cllr Kent told Thurrock Nub News: "The fire has caused huge disruption to many people living close to the Globe Industrial Estate and has put the issue of a historic industrial estate continuing to exist alongside housing.

"We receive lots of complaints about heavy vehicles ignoring weight restrictions on local roads to get to the estate.

"As the council continues to put together the Local Plan - the strategy that looks at how different plots of land can be used - there will be an opportunity to find a way of relocating much of the industry from the Globe and, if the administration bring forward plans to do that we will - in principle - support them.

"In the meantime, we need to see greater enforcement of some of the activities on the estate and of heavy vehicles travelling to and from it."

Firefighters remained at the site of the blaze overnight, damping down the gutting building using an aerial platform ladder. Investigations into the cause of the blaze are set to begin today.