EMERGENCY repair work to Canvey bridge started on Wednesday after it emerged the crossing could pose a risk to the public.

Urgent maintenance work to the bridge, near Benfleet station, started on Wednesday night, causing misery for motorists trying to get on and off the island.

Drivers will be forced to wait at temporary traffic lights while the work is carried out, as the road will be sectioned off into just one lane.

Many motorists had complained the work should have been delayed until other major roadwork schemes in Castle Point, such as Sadlers Farm and Tarpots, had been completed.

But Tracey Chapman, Essex county councillor for highways, said the work had to be done now.

She said: “The bridge is operated by a complex electronic system comprising several cables and wires.

“These wires have become loose and need removing as they could potentially pose a health and safety risk to the public. Therefore Essex County Council has planned to carry out these works as soon as possible.”

The work will take place between 8pm and 6am until March 15 to cause “as little disruption to the public as possible”.

The borough is in the midst of coping with several major roadworks schemes.

As well as the £63.5million revamp of Sadlers Farm, the Tarpots intersection in Benfleet is being remodelled over seven weeks at a cost of £120,000.

Traffic light improvement work is also being carried out in Somnes Avenue, Canvey, with other roadworks on Essex Way, Benfleet, and in Long Road, Canvey, at the same time.

Dave Blackwell, leader of the Canvey Independent Party, said: “It is getting an absolute joke. The congestion around the island is unbelievable. I was stuck in traffic the other day and I thought there must have been an accident, but then I realised it was just because of all the roadworks.

“It is ludicrous for the county council to undertake this work all at once, because it offers motorists no alternative routes.”

The Somnes Avenue roadworks are expected to finish on March 10, with those in Long Road lasting until the end of March.

The reworking of the Tarpots junction is set to finish in late April.

Essex County Council admits some of the work is being done at the same time to save money, but that other work overlapping is a coincidence.