VISITORS to Clacton are being urged to respect the town as rubbish was left strewn over beaches after a busy weekend.

Residents were shocked to find a large amount of plastic, cans, bottles and discarded buckets and spades on West Beach, despite five extra bins being provided by Tendring Council.

It was a busy weekend for the beaches in Clacton, due to the Beside the Seaside Festival, as well as the opening of the new £4million development on Clacton Pier.

But Clacton councillor Andrew Pemberton said he was “disgusted” by the mess left by beachgoers.

He said: “After I saw the mess, I put a call out on Facebook for volunteers and a couple of people came down to help clear up - we collected five bags of rubbish.

“The council’s waste contractor just collected the bins, leaving the surrounding rubbish on the beach.

“The bins steadily got fuller and fuller - I’d like to see them emptied throughout the day.

“Most people should take their rubbish away with them, but what we found was also household rubbish - nappies, tins, dog food cans and cat litter.

“People also used plastic to create paddling pools on the beach and left the plastic behind.

“I would like to see more enforcement and people fined for littering

“We welcome people to our seafront - but they must respect our beaches and our town.”

Sharon Moore, from Clacton, took photographs of the waste left on the beach. She said: “The bins were full and seagulls had attacked the food left. It was awful.

“I don’t think that volunteers should have to clean it up.”

Mick Skeels, Tendring Council’s councillor responsible for leisure and tourism, encouraged everyone to take responsibility for their rubbish.

“Tendring Council works hard right across the area to keep our district looking clean and tidy, and our beaches are no exception,” he said.

“Our beach patrol staff carry out litter sweeps, though sometimes this may not be immediately obvious if they are responding to emergency incidents.

“This weekend was particularly busy in Clacton, with the opening of the new Pier development and the Beside the Seaside Festival, coinciding with the start of the summer holidays and the continued heatwave.

“We had five extra bins along the beach, and I am delighted to confirm these, along with 15 others elsewhere on our coastline, will remain in place all summer.

“People often ask why we cannot empty the bins more often.

“Vehicles cannot be driven along the promenades between 10am and 6pm, this is due not only to our own bye-laws, but also safety – a packed promenade is no place to be driving a vehicle, it is not safe or practical.

“Ultimately though we need everyone, resident, business or visitor, to take some responsibility for their own waste and their environment.”

Mr Pemberton said he is planning another litter pick at the beach this Saturday at 8pm.