IN a second announcement that has surprised few people Thurrock Council says it is to remove the speed humps it installed on London Road in Stanford-le-Hope last December.

News comes just days after council contractors completed the removal of similar bumps it put on Buckingham Hill Road and Princess Margaret Road in East Tilbury.

The bumps in both places were installed as part of the council's traffic calming process to improve pedestrian safety and thereby help prevent the spread of coronavirus.

20mph speed limits were imposed and they too are now to be removed. The limit will return to 30mph.

The cost was met by the government under the Active Travel initiative.

The installations were widely criticised and mocked by residents and councillors alike.

Stanford West ward Conservative councillor Shane Hebb responded to news of the bumps' removal by saying: "We were not at all convinced of the need to introduce temporary speed restrictions down London Road - we had little faith that the speed bumps would achieve what the Active Travel initiative sought to achieve.

"The data from the trial is in, and the London Road restrictions have, unsurprisingly, not proven effective. The data, and local opinion, is very clear that they serve no purpose. It is right they should now go, and we understand this is due to happen in January next year"

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Fellow Tory ward councillor Cllr Terry Piccolo said: "This was only ever a trial – we agreed that the speed restrictions down Butts Lane were an obvious candidate - it's a busy road which serves a large school, and we have raised concerns about speeding down Butts Lane for some time.

"The data from the trial informs us the new measures have reduced traffic speeds by nearly 10mph. However, residents of the ward, and, people who visit the area speak to us, raise issues with the usefulness London Road speed restrictions. Removal is, we think, the right decision"