A YEAR-LONG trial banning cars from Colchester High Street will start on Sunday, March 17.

All vehicles bar buses, taxis, bikes and motorbikes will be restricted from the road between 11am and 6pm.

The controversial experiment, launched by Essex County Council and Colchester Council, will be monitored by a working group including traders and residents.

But unless the concerns of traders, who will not be able to use delivery vehicles during the day, are addressed, a public inquiry will need to be held before the much-anticipated changes are made permanent.

See Tuesday's Gazette for the full story.