Spurned Canvey flood survivors have missed their chance to meet the Queen, it was claimed today.

Angry Ted Smith told how he and several others who lived through the trauma of the 1953 floods could not get tickets to the special service at Chelmsford Cathedral.

Meanwhile, he complained many who were not living on the island at the time, had won precedence for the event on Friday, January 31, to be attended by Her Majesty.

Mr Smith, 75, of Kings Park, Canvey, said: "When I heard about the event, I found out all the tickets had gone.

"What's annoyed us is people who weren't even born at the time have got tickets to go. There are people from the county council who were living in London at the time, but lots of those who were here on Canvey all through the flooding haven't had tickets."

Councillor Ray Howard, who has been involved in flood defences for 30 years, invited the Queen to the cathedral ceremony and is to be a guest speaker there.

He was upset when his request for the Queen to visit Canvey itself was turned down.

He said: "There were 119 people in Essex who lost their lives in those floods and just over 300 along the whole of the east coast."

Castle Point mayor Charles Smith will light a beacon on returning to Canvey after the cathedral ceremony and this will be followed by a service at the Paddocks, in Long Road, Canvey.

Published Thursday, January 9, 2003

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