Cliftonville East ward councillors are asking for urgent action following illegal raves, overnight camping and mess, including human waste, left at Botany Bay.
They say the beauty spot has suffered significant littering following recent unauthorised gatherings and overnight camping.
Emails and calls from concerned residents have been received by councillors, detailing disturbances from loud music and the presence of waste that poses a health risk, particularly to families visiting the beach with young children.
Cllr Marc Rattigan said:“While the council takes action to shut off the beach when human waste is detected in the water, they have allowed piles of human waste to accumulate on the beach itself. This is unacceptable and poses a serious health hazard for families.
“The council must take a firmer stance on these illegal raves and overnight camping to protect our community and our environment.”
The matter was reported to the Thanet council’s enforcement team and the police, but Cllr Rattigan says residents are frustrated by a lack of immediate action.
The ward councillors are urging Thanet council to implement stronger enforcement measures, including increased patrols on weekends, clear penalties for violators, and community engagement initiatives to ensure residents feel supported in reporting incidents.
“We must come together as a community to preserve the beauty of Botany Bay and ensure it remains a safe and welcoming space for everyone,” added Cllr Rattigan.
‘Coastal Enforcement Officer patrol’
Thanet council says the street cleansing team dealt with waste left by an illegal encampment at Botany Bay on Tuesday 6 August. A council spokesperson added that there will also be extra enforcement patrols.
They said: “Thanet has 19 miles of beautiful coastline and keeping it that way requires people to enjoy it respectfully. Large scale events should be booked with our events team in advance, and toilet facilities and provision for rubbish collection put in place.
“The waste left by an illegal encampment at Botany Bay was cleared by our Street Cleansing team on Tuesday 6 August. To help prevent further illegal encampments, a Coastal Enforcement Officer will patrol Botany Bay, at least once a day on Saturdays and Sundays, until the end of the summer season on Monday 30 September.”
Thanet has a Beach and Coast Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in place aimed at making sure the district’s beaches are clean and safe. The PSPO prohibits a range of activities including camping on the beach and large gatherings, unless prior permission has been given.
Coastal Enforcement Officers patrol the coastline and speak to anyone who is breaking the Beach and Coast PSPO, telling them the rules and encouraging them to respect our beaches and to take their litter home.
If this approach fails, Enforcement Officers can issue Fixed Penalty Notices. Bay Inspectors support this on the main bathing beaches.
The coastal PSPO, brought in during 2021, prohibits:
- Parking/driving on the promenades or beaches without permission
- Cycling on the promenades between 10am and 6pm from 1 May to 30 September where localised signage requires you to dismount
- Bonfires, balloon and sky lantern releases on any council land
- BBQ’s on council land apart from on beaches after 6pm
- Horse riding on beaches or promenades between 9am and 7pm from 1 May to 30 September (or all year round at Pegwell Bay)
- Encampments (including tents, campervans, marquees, yurts etc) on beaches, promenades, clifftops, nearby green spaces, car parks and surrounding areas of the public realm without prior consent of the council,with the exception of sun shades.
- The use of personal powered watercraft (including jet skis) in a manner that poses a risk to the safety of people or wildlife
- The use of personal powered watercraft(including jet skis) in a manner that has the potential to cause harassment, alarm and distress to any other beach or coast users, or residents
- Preaching, lectures, music and entertainment or sporting events unless prior permission has been granted by the council
- Urination, defecation, spitting or littering
- Drinking alcohol in a public place, after being told not to
- Ingesting, inhaling, injecting, smoking or otherwise using drugs or substances reasonably believed to be psychoactive substances
- Possessing or releasing any canister containing compressed gas.
This is terrible… noise, tents, human waste. The beaches are going to look like our high streets soon.
People enjoying life ,we can’t have that Thanet
This is due to some numpties at TDC that thought it was a good idea to promote Botany Bay after some athlete was filmed running across the bay for the 2012 Olympics. London Underground was smothered in advertising describing the beach as a hidden gem in Kent forgetting to mention no parking, refreshments, public toilets, anywhere to bring income to Thanet.
You couldn’t make it up, the local residents were inundated with hordes of visitors completely blocking Botany Road, leaving behind everything from used BBQs, litter and worst of all human waste. Then that monster Boris decided that people were allowed to invade the area while paying them to supposedly stay at home due to covid. Again, you couldn’t make it up. It’s all a shame, but inevitable when you see how some of our people are behaving recently.
I can understand human faeces use disposable bags easy then pop into bins better still invest in these portable loos which is more hygienic
“Piles of human waste” is an accurate description of the people who do this.
Bizarrely the presence of naked men is okay on the sand dunes (ref proposal to make the Sand Dune area at Botany Bay an official Naturist Beach ) but the presence on poo and rubbish ‘where children and families ‘ are present is not??? I would suggest it is as un edifying for children to be present at either…
What a strange comparison (and why just naked men?).
It’s not just men, there are women total bo…ck naked there as well. Or is that okay in your mindset. Being naked has nothing to do with the human crap getting left behind anyway, that is pure laziness and an ability not to care about anyone but themselves. I would like to see council using their staff, and police officers both using penalty notices for breaches of these PSPO’s, otherwise what was the point in introducing them for the beaches?
BTW almost all of Thanet is covered by PSPO’s now so beware those of antisocial tendencies.
Human waste does it matter ?? There’s enough of it being pumped in the sea and coming ashore anyway you couldn’t tell the difference
Something also needs to be done about the man and his van/trailer/ motor bikes/dogs in cages who lives in the van and who has been parked on Palm Bay Avenue (near Palm Bay school / field) for past three months or so. He has been reported to local councillors, police, DVLA (for untaxed vehicle) but is still there. He even has the audacity now to have a sign on the back of his trailer asking not to park behind as he is disabled. That’s only so he can get the ramp down to get out his BMW motorbike.
And no doubt he is using the Palm Bay recreational field as his personal toilet.
Maybe nothing has been done because he is so verbally abusive – basically a bully – and everyone now steers clear of him. And those who live close-by don’t say anything for fear of him taking some form of retribution.
But according to the above:
The coastal PSPO, brought in during 2021, prohibits:
Encampments (including tents, campervans, marquees, yurts etc) on beaches, promenades, clifftops, nearby green spaces, car parks and surrounding areas of the public realm without prior consent of the council,with the exception of sun shades.
So TDC, it is long overdue that something is done about him. And the poor dogs kept in cages in his van.
The council put signs up stating no overnight parking of camper vans 6pm- 6am but do nothing to enforce it. The local councillors need to take the matter up with the officers at TDC. Get back on to them again and again until they listen and do something. They are not known to be bothered about their constituents to be fair.
I won’t hold my breath
You should consider doing that if you are next to piles of human waste.
I was along the Thanet coast at the weekend. Blaring music in the morning from this “gathering” which was reported by multiple people to the Council.
Meanwhile, on Viking Bay, a few miles to the South, two TDC “enforcement officers” stood having a chat enjoying the sunshine who could have got in the car and started breaking this up.
Makes me laugh. You can’t hear it from the tops, away from the cliff edge, and if you’re walking passed, you’re out of range quite quickly. Been to a few of these down there ten years ago. Police used to let us crack on as we weren’t causing nuisance to anyone. This is nimby bs.
Bang-on anon – We all used to have them in the 80’s too – DFL’s arrive and ‘NOT ALLOWED’ Complain complain complain – seems to be all they ever do in Botany these days – Too many cars – Too many people – Maybe they should be told ‘You don’t own the beaches!’ just coz you bought a house here. Naked Raves are the best!
TDC are too busy 1. working from home (read that as watching TV). 2 scratching their balls in the office. 3 those without balls are probably pretending they do (some with balls are probably pretending they don’t). 3 drinking coffee.
The collective noun for TDC is a Waste (as in a total waste of space).
Joss bay ( locally known as toss bay) there was a film crew there in the evening some weeks ago making a film for an advert. What I found amusing was they had to use a big orange dome light to simulate the sun because the weather had been so dull.
Another joke by council pointing out they don’t supply single bin for dog walkers people on beach for miles along that stretch or toilets when there a sewage works right there not toilet in site.
Personal think music to sensible level and rubbish cleared what’s problem.they did clear nearly all rubbish.
I more concerned about the nudity with so many visitors and kids I’ve watched naked men get up just because women walks by.theres kids want play on those dunes.more problem than people listening music in corner
My kids were actually approached at that part of beach . All you have to do is ask them to cover up . If they don’t or refuse police will arrest them which has happened .
People complain about a few tents on the beach for one night, but nobody seems concerned about the thousands of boats that land on our shores.
I’m more worried about our towns than our beaches soon. Thanet could become like London with high crime rates if certain groups take over.
It seems like London is exporting its problems to Thanet with council housing being built at Westwood. There’s no going back now, the issue has reached the Kent coast.
Which groups would those be?
Stick news on and see London
I have seen London -I lived in London for over 40 years- more than half of that in a borough with a very diverse population, most of whom were far from being well-off.
Where is the Council Housing being built at Westwood ?
London borough bought land so guess clear parts London from council housing send down here where it’s lot cheaper,your not that silly 🙈
Doesn’t Thanet Community Safety operate a drone patrol along our coastline?
The Coastal Code is frequently broken here but rarely is anything resolved. Whose job is it to maintain enforcement to protect our unique coastline against abuse of wildlife and the areas biodiversity?