The Chairman of Heybridge Basin Parish Council has spoken of how councillors were left with little choice but to close Daisy Meadow Car Park after hundreds of visitors flocked to the area since the start of the new national lockdown.

Councillor Michael Edwards said the parish council was inundated with requests from local residents, many of them pensioners and considered vulnerable to Covid-19, to express their fears over the situation.

He added: "Many of them were frightened to leave their own homes, especially over the last weekends, as hundreds of people were walking about in what is really a small area.

"Both of the pubs in the Basin are closed, as is the cafe to diners, so there is very little space for so many visitors to go. The coastal path is about 3ft wide and social distancing is just not possible with so many people around.

"It may be that people choose to park in the roads nearby, but we would urge everyone to think very carefully about the fact that this is a tiny village and what we are really saying by closing the car park temporarily is that at the moment we don't want people to come here in this pandemic situation."

The car park is owned by the parish council and has around 150 car parking spaces, with the advantage of parking there being free. However, over recent days the car park has frequently been full with drivers queuing to find places.

A statement has been uploaded to the Heybridge Parish Council website, which can be found via the link here.

The car park will be closed on Friday, 15 January until further notice.