Parents this week clashed with civil enforcement officers over Harris Academy parking.

Mayflower Road was visited by two civil enforcement officers (CEOs) on January 14, after concerns were raised at last week's planning meeting about 'dangerous parking'.

A small number of drivers on Mayflower Road who tried to park illegally were swiftly moved on when a CEO approached.

The CEOs also enforced the kerbside waiting and loading restrictions.

However, drivers on surrounding streets - especially Plymouth Road - were not quite so compliant.

Cllr Phil Smith, the responsible cabinet member, said: “Thurrock doesn’t have a large number of enforcement officers - but what saddens me is that we need to do this at all."

"Parents – people who have their own children and who should understand the safety issues – are the ones who cause problems around school."

"They park irresponsibly; they park thoughtlessly and all so that their child has 50 yards less to walk, and no doubt they also moan about others’ thoughtless parking too."

“The fact that the simple appearance of two enforcement officers in an area can make the problem disappear proves that it is impatience and selfishness that is the issue. Parents should leave home two minutes earlier and park their vehicle safely – better still, they should consider walking.”

Last week's planning meeting to discuss a second school on the same road made headlines after parents raised concerns about 'dangerous parking'.

Cllr Smith added: “Unfortunately this issue is not restricted to this academy and many schools across the borough suffer too. We have a limited number of officers and we cannot be everywhere at once, but we will continue visiting schools and either ticketing parents or making them behave responsibly.”