Signposts put up by a private company telling people to keep off their land in Heybridge have caused alarm to residents living nearby, who claim to have been using it for years.

Ready Mix Concrete (RMC), which owns Chigborough Lakes, near Drapers Lane, has put up signs advising people to keep off land close to the lakes near Drapers Farm.

The company, which now leases the lake to anglers and farmers' tenants after using the land there for mining purposes, said it has had to shut access off for safety reasons.

Adrian Ellis, the firm's assistant angling manager, said two anglers died on a similar lake site the company owns in Berkshire during the Christmas period.

A resident, fearing he will no longer have access to land he has used for some time, said he will fight the matter legally.

Iain Stone, of Coopers Avenue, said he understands the land is private, but has contacted highways at Essex County Council to continue using it as a place to walk his dog.

Published Thursday, February 3, 2005

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