Brightlingsea’s county councillor has called drivers who blindly follow sat nav instructions which take them the wrong way up one-way streets “idiots”.

Alan Goggin told town councillors that more road markings and no entry signs will be installed around Victoria Place after drivers were filmed making illegal turns and driving the wrong way around the around the War Memorial.

“To me, Victoria Place seems a fairly comfortable, easy place to negotiate,” he reported at October’s full town council meeting. “It’s pretty obvious it’s almost a roundabout.”

He said that at least one driver was spotted heading up the road past the Spar and turning right before the War Memorial, past Fowler’s office, and then turning left in front of Boots – all against the one-way flow of traffic.

Another – coming from the High Street – was seen to turn right between the traffic island and the War Memorial and then left towards Tesco – again driving the wrong way up a one-way street.

Other drivers had been seen to make a sharp right turn at the bottom of Ladysmith Avenue into the one-way side road that runs alongside the lower Victoria Place gardens.

“I don’t think it’s residents,” said Cllr Goggin. “A lot of them are visitors relying on sat-nav.”

Following a site meeting, Essex Highways are to put clearer arrows on the roads, install more no entry signs and replace one sign that was hit by a car.

“Expect a bit of activity,” said Cllr Goggin. “And as for the idiots that are following their sat navs – well, I just give up.”

• Closed: Brightlingea High Street will be closed overnight between Tower Street and Back Waterside Lane while Essex Highways carries out road repairs. The work is scheduled between 7pm and 5am on November 5-7.