Thanet District Council is preparing for an influx of visitors to the isle’s beaches this weekend with measures including enforcement teams, extra bins and a new coastal supervisor.
Working with Kent Police, British Transport Police, Kent County Council, RNLI, Your Leisure, the NHS and Southeastern, the council has activated it ‘Beach Management Plan’ to crack down on antisocial behaviour and parking, bye law breaches and littering.
Parking wardens will on duty throughout the day and into the evening to tackle illegal parking, especially at known hotspots such as Botany Bay. There will also be static and electronic signs in place to direct visitors to beaches where sufficient parking is available.
To tackle antisocial behaviour a 24/7 CCTV control room operation will support the civil enforcement team and Kent Police, as well help retailers in the Thanet Safe radios scheme
Security staff will be on duty across several beaches and bays and RNLI water safety teams will also be on hand.
Littering will also be targeted with temporary road signs encouraging people to take their litter home with them, 200 extra litter bins in place along the coastline and dedicated beach cleansing crews on duty daily from 6am-10am and 4pm-8pm, litter picking and emptying bins.
The beach tractor/surf rake will be out in the mornings on main beaches for large scale clearing.and a re-organisation of the refuse fleet, enabling bigger vehicles to collect more litter from high footfall areas at weekends, will take place.
Litter sacks will be distributed to all bay inspectors to give to the people on the beaches and a new coastal supervisor will travel the length of the coast, working with bay inspectors and beach concessionaires, street and toilet cleansing teams and enforcement and CCTV officers.
They will act as a central point of contact for these staff, providing intelligence and information from along the coast. Where bye laws are breached, such as people taking dogs on restricted beaches or jet skis launched at unauthorised sites, they will take action.
The council is also using its social media channels to communicate key messages to its followers about being responsible at the beach and taking litter home.
Staff are working alongside residents who have started campaigns to encourage people to ‘respect our beaches’ with bin stickers and signs, including on beach and high street public litter bins.
Cllr Rick Everitt, Leader of Thanet Council, said: “Since the launch of our Beach Management Plan last month, we have been working hard behind the scenes to prepare for when hot weather is forecast. This weekend which marks the beginning of the summer holidays, looks to be the start of a period of good weather, so operational plans have been enhanced and will be strengthened by collaborative partnership working.
“With 19 miles of beautiful coastline, and a tourism sector that is vital to the Thanet economy, we want to do all we can to support local jobs by ensuring those who do visit have a positive experience. Most importantly, we want our residents to be reassured that if the weather attracts more people to where they live, we’ll do all we can to prevent disruption so that they can enjoy themselves too.”
Visiting advice
Plan ahead: check parking and toilet provision. If a beach is busy, choose another to avoid crowds, or consider coming back at another time when it is quieter
Follow Government guidelines: take personal responsibility for social distancing to protect yourself, your family, and those around you. If you feel that the distance between you and other people is too close, then please move to a section of the beach that is less crowded and more comfortable
Be beach safe: check there are lifeguards on duty if you plan on entering the water and always follow RNLI guidelines
Be responsible: Use the bins provided – waste is everyone’s responsibility, and we have seen bins overflowing while nearby bins have had space. When a bin is full, instead of leaving it, find an emptier bin. Or, even better take your litter home with you and recycle it.
I do hope the parking wardens venture as far west as West Bay in Westgate. There have been camper vans parked there for months, partly on the grass.
There are a large number of “camper vans” parked up on the grass at Joss Bay again too. Those type of camper vans which tend to have diggers on trailers behind them and which never seem to get any parking tickets.
And along Victoria Parade at Ramsgate seafront, including a family living in a horsebox. Been there at least 4 months. Not very sanitary for anyone concerned, is it?
So, security guards with no powers whatsoever to deal with any issues that occur and a single beach inspector covering the entire Thanet coastline. Forgive me for being slightly underwhelmed. Let’s see what tomorrow brings!
I will watch carefully to see if the jet skis launching out of Margate Harbour (RNLI launch site) will indeed be dealt with. Over 10 were in the Harbour last weekend causing havoc and ignoring the No Jet Ski signs.
There is a permanent traveller site on Victoria Parade in Ramsgate. People (including children) living in lorries, vans and camping vans. Some have been there a year or more.
I commented about this above, didn’t scroll down down to see your exact same comment! Baffled how this this being allowed to go on.
Great all the negative comments again. Nice one I’m pleased to see things being done
I’m pleased too, I just wish they’d do more in the Westgate area, which seems to get largely ignored by both TDC and the police.
They won’t do anything about the illegal camp sites but lets see if they get to work keeping the beaches clean, the pavements, bus stops and street corners free of parked vehicles. Last time the council employed Kingdom the guys just fined pedestrians for dropped cigarette buts but walked past fly-tipping as if nowt to do with them. This is a different company!
Here’s a thought – as a trial leave the litter on the beach so that those sun seekers arriving see the issue. I’m sure that some clowns think the beach clears itself.
There should be signs along the esplanade in Ramsgate with a contact number for the beach inspector so that other beach/sea users could let him/her know when jet skiers are going past the main beach. It doesn’t matter if they are far from shore or dangerously close, they shouldn’t be there at all.
It’s good that the council is listening to residents and I hope the new measures have an effect.
Something needs to be done pdq re jet skis.
What with great weather, school holidays and an inclination for people to take “staycations” our beaches are attracting more and more people, many with children. Swimming, paddling, larking about on inflatables .. and into this mix surge 60 mph jet skis.
This morning there were at least 3 jet skis off Ramsgate Maon Beach. Two headed for Owgwell Bay (an SSSI) and one drove round and round in circles just off the main beach.
Where was the Beach Inspector?
It is reassuring to hear that Thanet Ditrict Council and other bodies are at last listening to the worries of local people regarding issues in our area, ie jet skiers, illegal parking, ‘raves’, bad behaviour on some of our beaches,etc. We have lived in Thanet for 20 years. Sadly, the last three years or so have been a nightmare in many respests. We have paid our Community tax each, year told how short of cash the Council are, but until this year our concerns and worries have been ignored. I do hope that Thanet Council are true to their word on this occasion and at last are listening to those of us who have general concerns and worries about our
area and those of us who live here.
I know the guy who lives in the horse box lorry you mentioned . I believe He has installed a fully working shower room/toilet and kitchen area. He has also installed Solar panels on the roof which provide him with electricity. Hardly the unsanitary pit you describe.
Some people fall on hard times through no fault of their own. The alternative for this loving family is the father living homeless on the streets and his children taken into social care away from a father who loves and cares for them. many kids in social care end up worse off and turn into unwanted delinquents.
Yes, the horse van might block your view and be unsightly but it is a safe area for the many camper vans and their inhabitants that frequent the area. The rest of ramsgate is now pretty much lawless with crime and violence spreading like the plague, no wonder these people who are less fortunate than yourselves want to be in an area that is relatively safe.
I think you are exaggerating about Ramsgate, Concerned.
No marva I am not exaggerating, Crime and violence is out of control in Ramsgate but it’s hardly surprising when Thanet council and the local police favour Margate and Broadstairs.
All the while Ramsgate is treated less favourably than Margate and Broadstairs and until resources are shared more evenly and fairly then Ramsgate will continue to go downhill. Ramsgate needs to be given an equal share not left to rot.
Ramsgate is being neglected by the local council.
If it’s out of control then why when I go into the town centre (I live five minutes’ walk away) do I very rarely if ever seeing any instances of crime and violence? Plenty of dogshit and litter, though. The people I see don’t seem to be worried about the possibility of being a victim of crime. It just seems like a normal town centre.
Correction- see not seeing
That’s a great start and I hope they build on it throughout the summer. Can I request they also walk through the parks especially king george vi as picnic people leave their rubbish everywhere and a uniformed enforcement person who can fine people would be a great deterrent.