Published 28th August 2019

Labour councillors and activists in Southend yesterday evening held a beach clean at City Beach, to address the state that the beach has been left in through the summer tourist season, and raise awareness of the need to leave it in a cleaner state at the end of the day.

Over a two hour period, bags full of plastic, cigarette butts and a whole mess of other materials were collected from the beach, to be disposed of by Veolia.

Cllr Helen McDonald, councillor for Kursaal ward, said, “The amount of waste that we took off the beach was astonishing, and we were only able to remove a small amount of what was left across the whole beach. Residents have seen all summer long the embarrassing state in which our beaches have been left, and this was one way for us to show our pride in and ambition for our community.”

Cllr Kay Mitchell, councillor for Milton ward, added, “The environment is high on the agenda both locally and nationally and Milton is very proud of its beaches. We want to protect wildlife and the quality of water in the estuary. We welcome all visitors to our beaches while sending a strong message to encourage people to bin or take their litter away.”

“Beach cleans such as our own, as well as recent initiatives by the Council to highlight the amount of waste regularly being left on our beaches, are all part of the awareness-raising and education process around this. Let’s keep Southend tidy for everyone, visitors and residents alike.”