A Canvey Island councillor has blasted Essex County Council for allowing island residents to clear the streets themselves.

Councillor Dave Blackwell received a letter from ECC which read "Essex County Council has no issue with residents carrying out weed removal within their own streets and would encourage community spirit of this type."

Councillor Blackwell said:  "I am appalled that the County Council want to encourage residents to clean their own streets of weeds.

"Residents pay a huge amount in council tax and should not have to clean the weeds from their street."

This comes after the Echo reported yesterday that Colin Letchford, who uses a mobility scooter, cleaned the gullies in six days on his street after the council failed to do so.

Councillor Blackwell has suggested that the council deploy their Highway Rangers to take on the task.

He said: "We have Highway Rangers and we should have got them to come down and clean the drains.

"If they went out and did what Colin did, they could have finished it in half a day.

"We shouldn't have to rely on a disabled man to do what residents pay council tax for the council to do."

Both David and Colin have said that they want ECC and Castle Point council to work together.

Councillor Blackwell said: "Flooding is everybody's problem. If we don't clear the gullies in the streets, then houses will get flooded."

A spokesperson for Essex Highways said: “Our weed spraying programme is currently underway. We spray for weed two or three times a season depending on weed growth. Maurice Road was last sprayed on 21 June 2017 and will next be sprayed on 9 October 2017.

"There is no issue with residents carrying out weed removal within their own streets where this can be done safely. We would encourage community spirit of the type shown by Mr Letchford.”

A spokesperson for Castle Point Council also paid gratitude to Colin Letchford and said: "The Council carries out regular cleaning of streets unfortunately some members of the public seem incapable of finding a bin or taking their rubbish home and continue to throw litter on the street which can end up being washed into drains."