TENS of thousands more families are flocking to Essex’s country parks this year as visitor numbers soar.

More than 57,000 extra visitors have attended Essex County Council’s seven country parks, including Hadleigh Castle, so far this year. The total number of visitors so far stands at 253,811, a 29 per cent increase on the 196,068 visitors last year.

Numbers are expected to rise even further, once the £6.8million legacy proposals for Hadleigh Farm are complete, which is expected to triple the number of visitors to the site to 120,000 a year to 400,000.

This comes after the authority announced last week it successfully retained all seven of its Green Flag awards for the parks.

John Jowers, county councillor responsible for libraries, communities and planning, said: “We have had an excellent summer so far, and it is the perfect weather to make the most of thegreen spaces that surround us in Essex.”