Thurrock Council members united against a second Thames Crossing on Wednesday for the second time in three years.

Speaking at the full council meeting, Council Leader John Kent said he would continue to campaign with residents against the issue and the government would be launching its next 'consultation' with the public in January.

The council said the government's latest proposals were still focused on Option A - next to the existing crossing - and three options around Option C, between Tilbury and Coalhouse Forts.

Mr Kent added that he had seen proposals for a crossing through Tilbury that "could be as high as the Shard" and which "would do enormous damage to Thurrock's heritage".

Mr Kent said: “This council remains opposed to government plans for a further river crossing in Thurrock and commits to continue campaigning, alongside local residents, on this issue.”

Speaking of the three options around Option C, Mr Kent said: “Any of these options will put added pressure on the A13 – and Junctions 30/31of the M25 - whether they link with the Dock Approach Road and the A13 itself, the M25 or the A127.

“We also understand that, both because of the width of the river at that point and to allow large ships into the Port of Tilbury the span of any bridge in that part of the borough would be absolutely huge.

“In fact one suggestion is that the height of the bridge up could well be twice as high as current bridge at Purfleet and the support pillars holding it up as high as The Shard.”

He added: “Let’s be clear, any of these three options would do enormous damage to Thurrock’s heritage, dominating the landscape between the two historic forts.

“Any of those three would destroy our Green Belt, some of the best green belt in the borough, by driving a seven mile highway through green fields and fens; have a huge impact on some of our villages, possibly Orsett, Bulphan, West and East Tilbury, and even Horndon-on-the-Hill depending which route is picked.”

Of the first proposal at Purfleet, Mr Kent said: “This does nothing to enhance the resilience of either the local or regional road network."

“It would lead to more queues of traffic as it creates pinch-points, on both sides of the river, as six or eight lanes of traffic merge into four."

“This will, inevitably, create additional pollution issues - both air and noise - in an area where pollution is already a significant issue."

“And it guarantees the congestion problems that all too often blight the west of the borough will continue.”

Mr Kent said: “The people of Thurrock have spoken against any further crossings time and again.

“This is the time for us to reassert Thurrock Council’s unanimous opposition to another Thames crossing, anywhere, in Thurrock.”