Taxi drivers idling on residential roads near London Southend Airport have brought calls for extra patrols, more tickets and a designated waiting area. The Southend Echo reported on 21 October 2026 that residents and businesses are losing spaces meant for locals and customers, with out-of-town drivers using those roads in the absence of a designated waiting area.
Eastwoodbury Crescent
Adam Beeney runs Physically Fit Sports Therapy on Eastwoodbury Crescent, the road London Southend Airport gives as its address. He has been battling what he calls nuisance parking for the past few months.
"There are bays out in the road and sometimes there are six to eight taxis there. I have got customers that can't park."
On his account, drivers pull away to avoid parking inspectors and come back as many as four or five times. The six to eight taxis, and the four or five returns, are his figures, not an official count. He does not see the inspectors often enough.
Patrols and tickets
Daniel Cowan, leader of Southend-on-Sea City Council, has been told of drivers from outside the city ignoring double yellow lines and parking on grass verges. Cowan called the behaviour inconsiderate, and unfair on residents and businesses. More patrols, more tickets and an additional waiting area are being considered.
"I understand that those drivers are trying to earn a living. Those who operate responsibly, respect our communities and follow the rules have nothing to worry about.
But our residents deserve peace and quiet, and our local businesses deserve for their customers to actually be able to park outside their shops.
We are looking at all options within the immediate area, as far away from residential properties as reasonably practicable."
Enforcement takes in patrols and Regulation 10 tickets, issued if a driver leaves before a regular penalty is given, plus a possible new waiting area.
Southend-on-Sea City Council has sent Regulation 10 notices by post since 3 March 2025. Where an officer has started a penalty charge notice and taken photographs, the registered keeper can be sent it if the vehicle leaves before the notice is attached or handed over. The council announcement of that scheme concerned parking near schools.
Express drop-off
The airport's express pick-up page sets a maximum stay of 10 minutes in Express Pick-up and Drop-off, opposite the terminal and beside the Superior car park. The charge is £8 a visit, paid online after leaving, by midnight the following day. The page asks drivers to pay only once they have left the area. A longer stay, or a missed payment, brings a parking charge notice. For a longer stop, the page points drivers to the Superior car park. The Echo reported a £100 fine where the ten-minute limit is exceeded.
A spokesperson for London Southend Airport told the Echo:
"The introduction of new car parking products at London Southend Airport earlier this summer has gone well, with many of our customers finding the new car parks efficient and easy to use.
As with all large-scale projects like our recent car parking changes, we're in a post-implementation phase where we are monitoring and refining all of the observed outcomes, including those which have impacted on some taxi operators.
We have committed to investigating improvements to some of the issues raised after the post-implementation phase."