Sir Bob Russell's plea not to have Colchester overlooked in favour its city rival

Sir Bob Russell, Colchester’s High Steward, has taken matters into his own hands by sending all 75 county councillors a leaflet outlining the comparison between his hometown and its city neighbour.

The leaflet outlines his concerns over neglected roads and weeds on paths in Colchester - compared to Chelmsford which he claims is weed free and revamped.

Sir Bob said even though he hand delivered the leaflets to County Hall, only one councillor acknowledged they have received it.

He said: “I think we’re being looked over. It’s Chelmsford over Colchester and it’s been like that for over 100 years.

"What I’m showing you is that Essex County Council repaired the railway bridges in Chelmsford 12 years ago and ours are exactly the same.

“There’s been no explanation as to why Essex County Council is doing this.

“I always felt like the council was just spending more time on Chelmsford rather than Colchester."

However, Essex County Council denies the allegation saying there is no favouritism.

David Finch, who is the leader of Essex County Council, said he thought Sir Bob was misinformed.

He added the council took a consistent approach to all highways weed spraying, repairs and improvements.

He said: “We are in the process of investing £50 million into road, bus and cycle infrastructure across Colchester.

“We have also installed two high-profile new bridges at Balkerne Hill and Lower Castle Park over the past 12 months.

“We have also created an additional 2,134 primary school and 750 secondary school places since 2012.”