SOUTHEND, in particular, is known for its vast numbers of traffic lights…which even prompted a former council boss  to suggest removing them.

A new study has now urged councils to switch them off.

The British Infrastructure Group of MPs and members of the House of Lords say traffic signals should be turned off and parking restrictions eased back.

The group believes the “anti-car” mentality of many councils by implementing traffic schemes is causing serious congestion.

The study, supported motoring groups, called for a ban on new road controls being installed, and urged councils to switch off traffic lights to ease congestion.

The study approached 85 per cent of local authorities, which are responsible for 93 per cent of the country’s road network. It found that across the UK’s 245,000 miles of roads, there is one “controlled junction” or crossing every 5.7 miles.

Former Cabinet minister, Grant Shapps, a Tory MP, who led the study, said: “Removing many of these controls, particularly traffic lights, would go a long way to making road travel more efficient and better for the economy, and saving individual motorists money.”