Calls have been made for an inquiry in how £2.2million of taxpayers money was wasted on plans for a new museum.

The now abandoned scheme to build the structure to house the Saxon King remains and artefacts for the London ship were ditched last month as Southend councillors as the estimated cost for the scheme spiralled from £40milliom to £55million.

The campaign Group Saxon King In Priory Park has long voiced opposition museum.

Known as Skipp, the group dismissed the project as unfeasible and prohibitively costly from the start.

The group drew up its own designs for a museum to display the Saxon King relics near to the grave site in Priory Park, Prittlewell.

The group yesterday called for a way to be found to investigate the scheme without further waste of money,

Skipp said: “Skipp backs calls for an inquiry into the recently scrapped museum proposal. However, we would not agree with spending a huge amount of money on an inquiry.

“We need an inquiry that doesn’t involve expenditure of public money. We would not only want to look into the levels of expenditure on the scheme but most importantly, the council’s accountability and transparency when dealing with public and the way they appear to have used procedure to not publish full details and only releasing parts of it at any one time.”

Paul Thomspon, a member of the Southend Seafront Traders’ Association, said: “I would certainly back an inquiry.

“The executive officers are getting another pay rise this year despite continual failings and wasting tax payers money.”

Phlip Miller, owner of Adventure Island said he also believed there should be no money spent on and inquiry but he questioned the level of competence behind such large council schemes. He said: “If they had an inquiry nothing would happen why waste even more tax payers money on a sham?

“There is nobody who works for Southend council who is qualified to make huge financial decisions such as these.

I always remember chatting to a former town clerk when he first came into post who asked me if I could show his top officers how to think and act entrepreneurial. I explained it’s either in you or it’s not.

“I offered to teach them good business practise but they must have a basic honesty about them to start with.

“We never had that conversation again!

Southend council is looking ar alternative venue for the museum, possibly in Southend High Street.

James Courtenay, councillor responsible for growth, said: “Work on possible locations for the museum is currently being done internally within the Council and is in the very early stages.

“All options and locations are open for discussion. We need to review our options internally and come up with a solution that is right for the town, supports its economy and is financially sustainable.”