A new monthly cruisers night will be the biggest Southend event for car enthusiasts in a generation, an organiser has claimed.

Hundreds of cruisers with flash custom-built cars will be pouring into Southend on November 13 as part of a stewarded official event organised by the Southend Cruise Partnership.

It is hoped the event, with attractions, automobile traders and displays of the most extravagantly modified cars, will drive away irresponsible boy racers.

Ashley Moore, managing director of Feature Performance, which is organising the events, said: "It will be the biggest thing to happen for cruisers in Southend for 20 years.

"As legitimate cruisers, we just want to be able to enjoy ourselves without having problems with the police or council. We want to remove what people refer to as boy racers - the bad element - those who do stupid things on the seafront."

Mr Moore, 23, from Tintern Avenue, Westcliff, hopes the night will attract people to the seafront in the same way the classic car and motorcycle events do.

Southend police Supt Steve Currell said: "Southend Council and the police have worked hard to cut down on the problems associated with irresponsible driver behaviour in the town. "Traffic management systems such as speed tables and barriers along the seafront, and covert and overt police operations, have helped but the operations have drawn officers away from other vital duties.

"It is hoped this will free up officers to police elsewhere in the borough."