CANDIDATES vying for voters' support in South Basildon and East Thurrock were almost all united in condemning controversial plans for the Lower Thames Crossing, insisting the proposals must be looked at again.

The exception was the Reform party, whose spokesperson said he believed the scheme could be accelerated.

The parliamentary candidates, Steven Burnett – Independent, Jack Ferguson – Labour, Elizabeth Grant – Green, Stephen Metcalfe – Conservative, Neil Speight – Independent and Keiron McGill (representing James McMurdock) – Reform UK took part in a hustings hosted by Basildon radio station Gateway 97.8 on Friday (June 28) ahead of the polls opening on Thursday for the general election.

Mr Speight said: "We've had how many years it is now, 14 years, I remember sitting in initial meetings and the different routes that came up. We came up with a hair-brained scheme that has never had proper diligence on it, it's just run absolutely wild, we've spent hundreds and hundreds of millions and got nowhere.

Mr Metcalfe told Gateway 97.8: "I do not want to accelerate it, I want to cancel it, as it stands, because I don't think it is fit for purpose, the idea behind all this started 17 years ago and it was to alleviate congestion at the existing crossing, putting a new crossing seven miles away further down the estuary that you would have to commit to at junction 29 of the M25 coming south is too far to have an impact on the catastrophic congestion we experience in Thurrock where the existing crossing fails. We need to rethink it because it was thought about 17 years ago first this is not the answer."

Mr Ferguson added: "The proposal as it currently is, and always has done over the last 17 years, would destroy homes, divide communities, it's not the right thing for the people of Thurrock and we need to scrap that. I will campaign against, wholeheartedly against, and continue to do so the Lower Thames Crossing."

Green candidate, Elizabeth Grant told Gateway 97.8: "I think it's no secret the Greens believe we need a more integrated, sensible and more environmentally sound transport infrastructure, this Thames crossing has just been so divisive and very upsetting to people and I am not for it. I quite like the idea of maybe trams, I think they're quite cool."

Under the current plan, by Highways England, a new tunnel under the River Thames would connect the M2 and A2 in Kent with the M25 to the east of Tilbury. 

Mr Burnett, Independent, told the radio station: "I agree with everything that's been said in that it should be scrapped. The use for that funding forward should be used for improvements in the Dartford Crossing."

Keiron McGill, representing James McMurdock, for Reform UK, said: "I think if it was managed properly then you could support the acceleration of it but obviously environmental factors would have to come into play as well as well as the ongoing congestion on both sides of the proposed bridge so it would have to come with a big upgrade to local infrastructure certainly infrastructure in place at the moment would not support it because you would see further congestion. But managed properly it could be done."

National Highways was unavailable for comment.