A REMEMBRANCE parade that was under threat due to a lack of police resources has been saved.

Every year, more than 100 villagers march through Thorpe’s streets to lay wreaths at the village war memorial and pay respects to fallen soldiers on Remembrance Sunday.

The war memorial is on an island in the middle of a busy junction between Station Road and Abbey Street – an intersection which links the village with Clacton, Frinton, Walton and Harwich.

Each year the junction has to be closed to traffic for about 40 minutes to allow the memorial parade to go ahead safely.

It was feared this year’s event may have to be scrapped after Essex Police confirmed they did not have the resources to staff the parade and enforce road closures as the force had in the past.

However, Tendring Council has now stepped in to make sure the event goes ahead.

Its staff will be able to close the road and will enforce the closures using the Town and Police Clauses Act.

Delighted Thorpe Parish Council chairman Dan Land said he was grateful the authority was able to step in to help.

He said: “They have really come to our rescue and saved the day. I cannot thank them enough for sorting this out, even though it was very much at the last minute.

“We were worried. If we had tried to close the road ourselves, it would have been very dangerous for volunteers, never mind any issues with the law.

“It is a poignant event and important to us that it goes ahead.”