RESIDENTS and councillors are "knocking heads" over the moving of a bench in Witham.

Last month Witham Town Council moved a bench used by disabled people outside the Town Hall as it was attracting drunks.

It caused a stir with elderly and disabled residents, who claimed the town was no longer a 'disabled friendly' place.

Disabled Steven Wager, from Lawrence Avenue, had a meeting last Friday with Witham councillor Rob Williams.

He said they discussed finding ways to make the town more accessible for disabled people, but still felt they were being overlooked.

He said: "We are stuck in the middle of nowhere, but what can we do?

"The council said they haven't got the money which is a bit frustrating but I'm waiting to speak to someone at Braintree Council about getting more disabled entrances."

The said the meeting had both positive and negative results.

Mr Wager, 54, said: "The few that are causing the problem are going to run the town but the council is trying to make sure that doesn't happen- but it seems it doesn't matter if people suffer.

"Regarding the bench I think we are just going to knock heads all the time."

Councillor Rob Williams said the bench was likely to be a dead issue, but there were ways the council could help with accessibility for disabled people.

He said: "It was a very constructive meeting. Mr Wager raised a few points about the access to facilities that would make his life easier, and we talked about how we could help with that.

"The bench is a dead issue, it was a last resort but it was the only resort. There are other areas where we can help him."