Thanet District Council (TDC) has been critisied after photos showed ‘mountains of rubbish’ piled up at Botany Bay in Broadstairs. The popular destination, which is known as one of Kent’s busiest beaches, has been swarming with visitors due to the summer weather
Shocking pictures show a mountain of rubbish with uncollected bins including empty beer cans and crisp packets has been piling up and blowing around in the wind.
But its popularity has come at a cost, with the sheer number of people parked on nearby narrow roads making it impossible for bin lorries to get access. Following the disturbing scenes after the weekend, one councillor blamed “Wembley-sized crowds” from London.
Conservative councillor Barry Manners says Thanet District Council (TDC) has been “lazy and inept” in dealing with the issue.
Cllr Manners said “It’s absolutely foul right now. TDC has failed to get to grips with the parking issues that have been an issue here for over two decades. They’ve simply kicked it into the tall grass. They’re too lazy and too inept to actually have proper parking control and so it’s a complete free-for-all.
“The roads are congested and blocked so the bin lorries can’t access, ambulances can’t get down, fire engines can’t get down. It’s an accident waiting to happen. Bins become overfull because the bin lorries can’t get down to empty them. It’s not the fault of the bin men – they’re working an impossible situation. You’ve got Wembley-sized crowds being crammed into narrow residential streets with no prohibition, no control and very little enforcement.”
The public toilets at the beach are also an issue, with visitors describing how they had to tread through overflowing urine all over the floor and blocked toilets.
In response, TDC said it used a number of measures to keep its shoreline clean.
A spokesman said “Thanet has 19 miles of beautiful coastline and the council, along with local partners and community groups, works hard all year round to ensure it’s in the best condition possible.
“During the peak summer season, the council puts extra resources into beach management, to plan for the increased demand on services. Measures include placing more rubbish and recycling bins along the coastline and deploying additional cleansing teams who work extended hours to tackle the demand”.
Locals also insist that visitrs should take their rubbish home with them. They say that visitors do not treat facilities with respect and just leave them in an awful state once they leave.
Botany Bay is situated in a residential area with limited parking. Everyone who visits the beach is reminded to park considerately to maintain access for residents, emergency vehicles and waste trucks.
The issue of hordes of visitors flooding the area when the sun is shining is a long-running one and looks like it will continue into the foreseeable future.
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