New signs telling lorry drivers how to get to a housing development have been put up after the previous dozen mysteriously disappeared.

Strutt and Parker Farms was given outline approval to build the home on land east of Pippins Road in Burnham despite public objections and following a public inquiry.

A reserved matters application, setting out the layout and appearance of the new homes, was submitted by Matthew Homes and approved in May.

As part of the plans all construction traffic for the site must follow a special route via a temporary road.

But the developer was left frustrated after the 12 signs it put up were all removed.

Maldon District Council received two complaints about lorries after the signs were removed and described it as someone “mischievously removing” the signs.

The matter was raised at Burnham Town Council by councillor Wendy Stamp who urged people not to remove them.

It is not known if it was done by pranksters trying to cause problems or by campaigners furious the development was going ahead who were happy to do what they could to disrupt it.

Reports were received of lorries getting lost and stuck in estates.

On Thursday new signs were put up at 12 points along the route to Marsh Road for drivers to follow.