TOWN Hall bosses in Tendring are set to call on their counterparts at County Hall to fund “vital” improvement works at Manningtree’s notorious railway bridge as soon as possible.

Fears were previously raised that £150,000 set aside by Essex County Council for works to introduce traffic lights at the A137 trouble-spot had been redirected.

The junction has previously been named as one of Essex’s worst traffic bottlenecks.

Despite money being earmarked more than two year ago for improvement works, ward councillor Carlo Guglielmi said no works had yet started.

He fears the cash has been re-allocated to other projects after developers agreed to fund the Lawford scheme as part of their planning permissions for major developments in Brantham, Bromley Road and Long Road.

But Mr Guglielmi is concerned the county council will want to use the developers’ money rather than the cash set aside, which could mean years of traffic jams while the council waited for developers to build enough homes to contribute any cash.

Mr Guglielmi said: "I fully expect Essex County Council to do these works as soon as possible, in consultation with Great Anglia and Network Rail and Suffolk County Council's highways department.

"The traffic jams are a problem that affects both counties, although Babergh have completely ignored the fact that people are coming from their district into ours to use the railway station and adding to the problem.

"We want the works to be funded by Essex County Council now and take place as soon as possible.

"The funds can then be recouped by the council from the developers once their buildings works take place."

Tendring Council’s cabinet is expected to agree on Friday that it will write to the county council to urge it fund the scheme.

The district council’s community leadership committee said County Hall should fund the works now so the traffic lights can be installed as soon as possible, before recovering the costs from developers.

Alan Lindsay, Essex County Council’s transport strategy manager, told the committee that the traffic lights would be a short term action while the council explored a long term solution that is expected to cost millions of pounds.