Thurrock MP Jackie Doyle-Price accompanied Essex Police on Saturday 31st January to see how they were seeking to tackle car cruising at Lakeside.
Apart from the danger to road users, the issue has caused noise nuisance to residents, especially in Chafford Hundred.
Jackie said, "having been out with the police, I can see that the only solution to this problem is to make more physical changes to the road. Without that, Essex Police will have to continue an intensive presence at Lakeside which is not the best use of their resources.
On Saturday night there were a number of police vehicles in the vicinity of Lakeside, dispersing the vehicles that arrived. However, the two robberies which took place meant that officers had to attend those. And to be honest, I would rather the Police were doing other things.
The fact is that simple changes to the road would eliminate a large part of this nuisance. The Highways Agency has already made changes to the dumb-bell roundabout which has had some effect. Speed cameras and road humps would do the rest. And if Thurrock were to designate the road as clearway, there would be fewer spectators.
So come on Thurrock Council. Get your finger out and deal with this. It has been causing nuisance for years. The Highways Agency has done its bit. Time for you to do yours. I would rather we use Police resources for other things than moving car cruisers on, but until the Council does its bit, the Police are stuck with the job."