THE mum of a teenager who died falling from a Southend footbridge has insisted barriers put in place to shut off the walkway are not good enough.

Southend Council has installed barriers to deter people using the Queensway Bridge in Southend following several deaths, In February, council leader Ian Gilbert promised the bridge, which spans the Queensway underpass, would be closed.

Removal of the bridge was intended to be part of the £575million Queensway regeneration project but a financial report has stalled the project until December.

The project, which includes 1,700 new homes cannot proceed until then.

Southend teenager Chris Nota, who suffered from autism, died after falling from the bridge in 2020.

His mum, Julia Caro, dismissed the attempt to prevent people getting onto the bridge.

She said: “It’s very odd and something I could have done with my dad for £50. The council wants to protect itself rather than other people. That’s what I find so sad. They have nothing but contempt for us.

“People are saying that you can just get on the outer ledge and shimmy along. If people are determined to do it they will get onto the bridge. I thought this bridge was supposed to be coming down.”

Martin Terry, councillor responsible for public protection, said: “It’s a very emotive issue. I don’t know what we can do other than put a barrier up. I don’t think there is anything else we can do apart from pulling it down.

“It’s the process of the programme and we have to wait for the December report but it’s a blip and we have got to wait. It’s a really awful situation and it’s caused quite a lot of argument. It’s been very difficult for everyone.”

Two people lost their lives on the bridge last year.

Following Mr Nota’s death a petition was launched to put a cage over the bridge but the work was never carried out.

The plans for the new Queensway road layout will see the underpass raised to ground level with a four lane road going through the town centre to the seafront.