Southend traders have requested that lane closures around the A127 Tesco junction are stopped next week ahead of a predicted Christmas rush.

Traders believe that Monday and Tuesday next week will be some of their busiest days of the year, with shoppers scrabbling for last minute Christmas gifts.

So instead, lane closures heading into Southend will be in place from 8am tomorrow morning, but will not be in place during the evening.

A Southend Council spokesman said: “ This is in response to a specific request from local traders, with whom we have been working closely during the works, who have reported that these are likely to be their two busiest trading days.

“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience and advise people using the road at this time to allow extra journey time. The lane closures are scheduled to be removed before the evening rush hour period.”