A proposed revised roadside memorial policy will prevent potentially dangerous or obstructive memorials from being left on the borough's roads and pavements.

Cllr Andrew Jefferies, Cabinet Member for Environment, said: "We fully understand, appreciate and are sensitive to the fact that some families want to mourn the loss of a loved one by leaving flowers, mementos and tributes at the site but this needs to be balanced with safety concerns for other road users.

"While we will allow flowers and other tributes to be laid temporarily, in safe locations that do not cause a hazard to access, we will always act to remove unauthorised memorials from council-owned land to keep our roads safe and will remove all temporary memorials after 30 days.

"The last thing anyone would want is for there to be an accident with someone laying tributes being injured or vehicles passing being involved in another accident as they are in some way obstructed.

"This proposed revised policy aims to balance the needs of families and loved ones and ensure they have an opportunity to grieve without impacting others' safety. We will do all we can with our partners in Essex Police to locate the family of those have lost their lives to pass on any non-floral tributes after 30 days. We will then work with families that would like to establish permanent memorials of remembrance, such as benches or trees, at suitable locations with all the required permissions."

Proposals for the revised policy will be discussed at the Cleaner, Greener and Safer Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday 14 December.