TILBURY: In the working-class town of Tilbury near London, Brexit supporters reacted with frustration on Thursday to yet another delay to Britain's EU departure three years after they voted to leave.
"I'm cheesed off," said Colin Elliott, 70, a former tractor plant worker, on the latest postponement Prime Minister Theresa May agreed overnight with European Union leaders in Brussels.
"I voted Leave and I feel betrayed. They're not honouring the result."
The region around Tilbury favoured leaving the EU in the 2016 referendum by 72 percent versus 28 percent pro-Remain.
Other local residents echoed the anger that Brexit could now be delayed to October 31 -- unless parliament approves May's unpopular divorce deal with the bloc in the coming weeks.
"I'm very disgruntled with it all. We want out... I can't wait to leave," said Suzy Hornsby, 59, who wants Conservative MPs to get behind the prime minister's divorce deal, already rejected three times by lawmakers.
"They should've stuck by her more... but now we're stuck in limbo," she added, noting May's agreement is "good enough to get us out".
There are few places in Britain that supported leaving the EU as strongly as this corner of Essex on the eastern edge of the capital.
Sitting in the shadow of docks on the River Thames, which had their heyday when the sun never set on the British empire a century ago, the area now struggles with issues of significant deprivation.
Despite a growing container port and other light industry, residents said a sense of having been left behind and concerns over immigration drove the votes for Brexit here.
"It used to be a great town but it's gone right down," said Robert Gilbert, 73, a retired steel industry worker and life-long Tilbury resident.
He opted for leaving the EU because he dislikes being "ruled by another country" and branded the second Brexit postponement just agreed "absolute rubbish".
"I can't believe it's three years after the referendum and they still haven't sorted it out... They haven't done what we wanted."
A former Labour Party voter, Gilbert said if Britain held European Parliament elections in late May -- as looks increasingly likely -- he would register his discontent by voting for a new Brexit Party founded by anti-EU populist politician Nigel Farage.
Some Tilbury residents said they would never vote again over the perceived Brexit "betrayal" playing out.
"My wife, my son, we're not going to vote anymore -- that's it," said Elliott.
"I don't see any point if they're not going to do what you voted for."
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