SOUTHEND Council has been left with a 44,000-tonne mound of soil to deal with after a developer “threw its toys out of the pram”.

Chelmsford-based Garrison Developments had allowed the council to store heaps of mud on old Gunners Park, between Ness Road and New Barge Pier Road, in Shoebury.

But after the council turned down plans for 172 homes and four-storey office blocks on the flood plain in July, the firmhas told the authority to take back its soil because the developer owns the land.

Councillors turned it down by 13 votes to three over traffic and flooding concerns and it is understood that Garrison Developments is now considering a planning appeal.

But they have now told the council to take back the soil which the authority had been storing there under a previous agreement since 2013. Themud mountain was earmarked to be used for a seawall at Shoebury Common, a plan that has now been ripped up.

It could mean the authority could be hit by landfill taxes.

Mike Assenheim, the Independent councillor for Shoebury, said: “This is an example of the developers throwing their toys out of the pram.

“They have terminated their agreement with the council in regard to the presence of material on their land.

“It means we will either have to sell it onto someone else, or send it to landfill, which obviously incurs landfill tax charges for the council.”

He said residents should not be alarmed by work taking place in the coming weeks there – it will simply be the council taking away the soil.

The developers had offered a host of sweeteners to Southend Council through a legal agreement – including £970,000 to be spent on the planned Shoebury seawall and £1.5million on local education, but it was still turned down by the council.

Peter Grubb, from the Friends of Shoebury Common group, said: “I think the council is hoping to sell the soil for profit.

“They could sell it to Rochford Council – they are desperate for soil.”

It is understood the council is meeting with Anglian Water and the Environment Agency to discuss flooding risks in Shoebury and the impact development would have on that.

The Echo approached Garrison Developments for comment on the issue, but the company failed to respond at the time of going to press.