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Organisers of Greatstone beach party donate £750 to Litter Picking Watch Romney Marsh

By: Sam Williams swilliams@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 13:03, 11 August 2020

Updated: 17:13, 11 August 2020

The organisers behind Sunday's mass beach gathering - which left four police officers with injuries - have made a donation to the litter pickers who helped clean up afterwards.

Greatstone beach, on Romney Marsh, was left trashed after the cook out and party, which is estimated to have been attended by up to 5,000 people.

Revellers took to Greatstone beach as part of a pre-planned 'beach cookout' on Sunday

It was organised by the Boss Flavour jerk restaurant in Croydon, who hired coaches to bring attendees to the beach, with more people arriving in cars and minivans.

And it sparked outrage among residents, who feared the lack of social distancing and were upset by inconsiderate parking, loud music and the amount of litter left behind.

From 6am on Monday, scores of volunteers helped clean up the beach, with wipes, masks, human waste, food containers and camping chairs left behind.

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Hundreds of bags of litter were collected and removed from the sand.

Eric Brown, founder of the Litter Picking Watch Romney Marsh, which organised the clean up, said organisers had promised to donate £750 to the charity. He subsequently confirmed the money had been received.

Police and paramedics attended the party, with four officers sustaining injuries. Picture: Susan Pilcher

Mr Brown also also called for people to "move on" after organisers faced a backlash in wake of the event.

He said on social media: "A member of our group has been in contact with the organisers of Sunday's beach party.

"Firstly they would like to say that this wasn’t what they intended to happen or planned and would like to apologise to everyone who was affected by what went on.

"They have promised a very generous donation of £750 to our charitable group ‘Litter Picking Watch Romney Marsh’ to help fund this and any further organised litter picks the group may have.

"It wasn’t nice for a lot of local people who felt intimidated and threatened in their homes, but nobody’s perfect, mistakes were made, good intentions and all that.

The moment an officer is hit by a car

"They’re a family business and have had some awful threats made against them, they have apologised profusely, so as far as I’m concerned we need to bury the hatchet and move on.

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"Lastly thank you to everyone who helped with this mammoth clear up."

Yesterday a video emerged of a police officer being hit by a car at the gathering.

Four officers were hurt and one man has been arrested since.

What he has been arrested for has not been revealed by Kent Police.

The force says it was aware of a planned gathering on Friday but was told it was not happening in Kent.

Rubbish left on Greatstone beach after the party. Picture: Pd Photography

A spokesman said: "On Friday (August 7) Kent Police made contact with the organiser of a planned gathering and were told the intended beach event would not be taking place in Kent.

"The organiser was given advice around personal responsibilities to ensure the Government's guidance on social distancing continues to be followed at a time when Covid-19 still poses a significant risk to public health."

Folkestone and Hythe District Council has said it is considering legal action against the organisers.

Leader Cllr David Monk said: "This gathering was arranged at short notice with the details withheld from us and police colleagues.

"No permission was granted by the council for this gathering or for the use of its land. The council was not in direct contact with the organiser before the event took place.

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"We’ve already made contact with the organiser to discuss the consequences of this gathering and we are considering legal action."

Police are still appealing for witnesses. Anyone with information is asked to call 01843 222289 quoting reference 09-0593.

Read more: All the latest news from Romney Marsh

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