A VILLAGE has been “wiped from the map” according to angry residents who say poor diversion signs have left drivers struggling to find Great Bromley.

Fred Nicholls, councillor for the village, has hit out at Essex County Council who he says had to sign off the diversion notices for the closed Hare Green junction on the A120.

The turn-off is closed while Highways England builds a new £3million roundabout at the accident blackspot.

He said: “The sign at Horsley Cross is totally misleading and there is not mention of Great Bromley.

“It says ‘diversion Harwich Road closed’ - which Harwich Road?

“It is as though they have wiped Great Bromley off the map.”

Mr Nicholls said businesses are being affected by the lack of signs as well as delivery drivers and buses.

He added: “The problem is there is no proper signage.

“If you get a relief driver to pick the children up in Great Bromley to take them to school in Colchester they haven’t turned up.

“The parents have had to pick them up and drive them into Colchester.

“It’s a mess.

“Normally my road is quiet busy but there is no traffic.

“And we’ve now heard they will be closing the old Harwich Road.”

Robert Day, who runs the Courthouse in Great Bromley, said everyone supports the new roundabout but there needs to be better signage.

He added: “Lots of our customers and delivery drivers have come up the road and there is no warning it is closed, then they have a 14-mile round trip to get here.

“We even had a wake where the main bulk of the cars missed the turning and had to go 14 miles to come here.

“It’s chronic, really.”

He said the official diversion takes drivers all the way from Horsley Cross to Weeley via Tendring and then back up to Frating.

“It’s ludicrous,” he added.

Adam Barham, director of Panther Travel buses, said the company wasn’t aware the junction was being closed.

He said: “On the first day we were not aware of the closure until we saw the barriers.

“Therefore the children on board ended up being late.

“We are a registered bus service so we should have been made aware.

“There are so many signs about closures on the road at the moment its hard to work out which ones relate to what.”

An Essex Highways spokesperson said: “Essex Highways signed off the diversion plans as compliant with our network requirements.

“The detailed deployment of signs is then a matter for Highways England and their traffic management company.

“Any local businesses who feel they are being disadvantaged by the current arrangement of signs should make contact with Highways England.”

Highways England did not provide a comment.