TWO senior Southend Tory councillors are calling on Southend Council to celebrate Britain's exit from the EU on Friday.

Deputy mayor, Mark Flewitt and Southchurch councillor Alex Bright have written to council chief executive, Ali Griffin, asking for details of the council's plan to mark Brexit. 

Nationally, there has been an unsuccessful campaign, firmly backed by Rayleigh MP Mark Francois calling for Big Ben's famous chimes to ring out to mark the country's divorce from the EU. 

Mr Bright said: "My Conservative colleague, Cllr Mark Flewitt, and I have written to the Chief Executive of Southend Borough Council to ask her what plans the Council has to mark the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union in a week's time.

"54,522 people in Southend voted to leave the EU and to take back control of our sovereignty, freedom and right to self-governance.

"It's only right that we join other councils across the country in marking this historic occasion."

In their letter, the councillors say: "Should no plans currently exist, we strongly urge you to consider how the  council might lead in marking this special occasion for which so many residents voted."

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has heralded the end of “far too many years of argument and division” as he signed the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement ahead of Britain’s departure from the EU next week.