Southend traffic wardens in 1967 in vintage photos
The photos have been resurrected from our archives and haven’t been seen in 57 years, since they were taken by Echo snappers back in 1967.
They show men and women being trained to become wardens in the classroom and also picture them on the beat and even directing traffic in Southend.
The first ever traffic wardens in the UK were introduced in Westminster, London in 1960.
Traffic Wardens were later introduced across the rest of the country.
In 1965 Southend police and council bosses made legal amendments so that traffic wardens could be trained to direct traffic on the borough’s roads – a job previously only done by police.
The wardens were given lessons in point duty and traffic control.
Less than a year after these photos were taken, so in 1968, a band of 25 Southend traffic wardens made national headlines when they voted for a six day strike following a row over working conditions.
The walkout was called it off at the eleventh hour after an agreement was reached.
New wardens were being scouted for in Southend in 1973 when a series of job advertisements were taken out to recruit staff.
The tag line of the ad was “a well paid, healthy life, with interest.” Candidates had to be aged between 18 and 50 and would be paid between £21-£25 per week.
In 1993 Southend launched a pilot scheme which saw its traffic wardens use bicycles on their patrols instead of moving around on foot.
