Roadworks causing 'absolute carnage' say residents

Villagers have said it is "just a matter of time" before a vehicle hits one of their homes, with nearby roadworks said to be boosting traffic along their road.

Residents said the works between Braintree and Witham in Essex had resulted in numerous motorists trying to drive along The Street in Cressing.

They told the BBC there had been numerous minor incidents and they had even started collecting wing mirrors knocked off vehicles.

Essex Highways - part of Essex County Council - said the road was not part of the official diversion route, which it encouraged motorists to use instead.

Marilyn and Barry Palmer have lived on The Street for 30 years, which in recent times has been frequently blocked by lorries struggling to pass each other and mounting the kerb.

"I was going to the postbox and they nearly run me over - they just shouted out the window at me," Marilyn, 76, told the BBC.

"For a small village, it's a total nightmare, and we're not getting sleep at night."

Her husband described the situation as "absolute carnage".

"They [lorries] drive along here and just shake the house to bits to be honest with you - it's just crazy, it's just been ridiculous.

"I'm sure one day we will end up with a lorry or something through the front window."

The couple told the BBC they had begun collecting wing mirrors and displaying them in a hedge.

"You're dicing with death coming out and collecting them, but it's a bit of a pastime really because it has got ridiculous," Marilyn said.

Roadworks began on Braintree Road and Cressing Road - close to the junction with Millennium Way - on 27 March, and are due to last until mid-April.

The official diversion route sends motorists to Marks Tey via the A12 and A120.

Resident Paul Maleary said near-misses had been "an everyday occurrence" since the roadworks commenced.

"It's absolutely horrendous - it will take you… 45 minutes or an hour to get to the McDonald's roundabout which is a mile away, and it's absolutely chaotic," he said.

Another resident, who did not wish to be named, said he had seen lorries driving over his lawn to pass another vehicle, and he often struggled to pull out of his own driveway.

"The road is just not capable of taking this workload of traffic," he told the BBC.

A spokesperson for Essex Highways said the official diversion route - which also includes the B1018 and B1389 - was "the most suitable route for all types of traffic which already uses Cressing Road and Braintree Road".

"The Street is not part of the official diversion route," they said, adding that motorists could use the one.network platform to plan journeys.

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