"We don't want it, we don't need it and we can't afford it" - that was the message delivered by disgruntled residents at the Isleworth committee meeting on Monday night to discuss Controlled Parking Zones (CPZs) and traffic issues in the area.

Despite the late notice of the meeting, nearly two hundred people crammed into the public hall to voice their thoughts over proposed plans to introduce a series of new schemes to improve the area, but the angry masses were in no mood to sit and listen quietly.

Lead member for housing and community safety Councillor Phil Andrews had the unenviable job of chairing the meeting to address issues including speed reductions on Worple Road and in Old Isleworth, CPZs in Isleworth Village and Isleworth Station and the ongoing repair work to St John's Bridge - along with other linked problems.

Calls for speed humps to be scrapped in favour of other traffic calming measures like chicanes and choke points were popular, unlike one request for an Isleworth congestion zone, which was greeted with a chorus of groans.

Try as they liked, the community leaders were not going to appease this angry mob with council speak or vague responses - but credit must go to the panel which included Coun Andrews, lead member for environment and planning, Barbara Reid, Isleworth Community Group and Coun Paul Fisher, along with development and parking officers - who stood up to be counted - and shot down in some cases.

Local resident Tom Beaton was the first person, and not last, to criticise the council's lack of communication and the defects in the consultation process.

He said: "It's a big step to impose a CPZ. We need go about it systematically and do a proper study. Collect evidence of how a CPZ would effect people both inside and outside of the zone. And let the people make an informed choice."

The members were clearly taking criticism on board with Coun Andrews admitting that even though the majority of residents agreed to a 20mph zone on Worple Road, they should have done a street by street consultation.

He said: "We like criticism, it helps us do our job."

A reply came from the crowd - "you've come to the right place then".

Coun Andrews continued: "Criticism is good, so keep it coming. If we're doing something wrong, we'll try to correct it. If the council have done something wrong, we'll try to put it right.

Coun Reid said: "This is the best attended meeting I've been to for a long time. The scheme in South Street was put in by the previous executive. This shouldn't have happened and I sincerely hope this doesn't happen again."

Dominic West - Chair of St John's Residents' Association said: "We've achieved a lot from this meeting - the council needed some joined up thinking and the public meeting shows the general mood that CPZs are not welcome, although there were mixed feelings.

"We had a postmortem afterwards and it was described like controlling a ship but without a rudder.

"Isleworth has now spoken and the policitians, officers, and councillors must listen."