CAMPAIGNING parents took to the streets to show their opposition to a council's plans to close one of the flats at a respite centre for children with disabilities or learning difficulties.

A small group of dedicated parents spent Monday outside County Hall in Chelmsford to protest against the scaling back of services at Lavender House, Stanway.

Essex County Council has announced plans to close one of the flats at the premises, leaving one property, or four beds, to cater for 33 families in the area.

Some users of the service are concerned the move will eventually lead to the closure of Lavender House completely.

READ MORE: Fears for disabled respite centre Lavender House in Stanway

Fay Knowles' 12-year-old son Ashley has autism and Fragile X Syndrome, a genetic condition that causes a range of developmental problems including learning disabilities and cognitive impairment.

She said: "Life is very up and down for us as a family not knowing if we'll get any sleep whether the next meltdown is going to last two hours or 20 minutes.

"The self harming, hitting himself and biting his hands is soul-destroying to watch.

"We don't have family holidays or proper days out all together as Ashley simply can't cope. This is why respite services are so important to us all.

"Ash loves going to Lavender House and we know he will be taken good care of.

"We utilise his time at Lavender House to enable us to do things with our four and-a-half year old and dare I say the normal things people take for granted.

"We feel if this service does eventually close we will be back at square one with the family at breaking point, which we don't want to happen."

Essex County Council insists there will still be enough space to cope with demand at Lavender House and no families will be worse off after the changes. The authority also says there are no plans to close Lavender House completely.

Tracey Hannigan said the respite centre has been a lifeline for her family.

"It has enabled me to work on keeping my family together, keep my relationship with my husband as we are now able to go out and do things that couples should be able to do and focus on my other two children as well," she said.

"I would love for other families to be offered the same support that my family received, as like it did with us, it can offer a lifeline to families that are on the brink of falling apart."

A petition signed by more than 2,000 people was also presented to Essex County Council.