A battle plan to tackle antisocial behaviour, bad parking and litter at beaches has been launched by a council.

The warm weather has drawn thousands of visitors to the seafront in Thanet in recent weeks - but sunseekers have seen their days out mired by several unsavoury incidents.

Brawls have broken out at Viking Bay and at Margate seafront, shocking levels of rubbish have been dumped - and roads have been blocked by inconsiderate drivers.

The chaos has left some residents feeling their beloved beaches have been lost to "feral gangs".

Now Thanet District Council has put together a beach management plan, working with police and the RNLI.

Following feedback from residents, the proposals include actions over antisocial behaviour, irresponsible parking, public toilets, litter, beach huts and beach safety.

Council leader Cllr Rick Everitt said: "Some behaviour has been completely unacceptable and we hope that this beach management plan will go some way to reassure residents and responsible beach users that we will do all we can to ensure people keep our beaches clean and respect our beautiful isle.”

Here's a breakdown of what the plan entails...

Antisocial behaviour on beaches and promenades:

The council will increase the presence of bay inspectors and its enforcement officers. Extra security staff will be used where appropriate in the coming weeks and months.

The authority will work with the police and the RNLI to continually monitor the situation on the beaches and react when problems occur.

People breaking bylaws:

Bylaws exist relating to the beaches and promenades such as dog control, craft control, hawking, loud music, horse riding, bonfires/barbecues, drinking, cycling, cars and general nuisances. The council will do more to communicate these to the public, through the bay inspectors and extra signs.

Irresponsible parking:

The council has programmed its parking enforcement activity around known hotspots in the warmer weather.

Whilst the council does not have enforcement powers to deal with obstructions of private drives and parking on kerbs, it is working with police on these offences and looking to obtain further devolved powers to enable it to enforce against this activity.

Signs will direct visitors to the beaches where sufficient parking is available.

Litter:

Due to high footfall on beaches, the council’s additional 'summer season resource' was implemented in mid-May (eight weeks earlier than previous years).

Concessions at a number of bays have volunteered to pick litter and the authority has supplied them with equipment.

To reduce the time between reporting of litter issues and the clean-up, the council has set up a system that enables the concessions to alert the council cleansing team to emerging waste issues and full bins. This also includes its cleansing supervisor engaging with concessions and bay inspectors to target beach cleaning resources to where it is most needed.

The bay inspectors are also supporting the cleansing service by issuing rubbish bags to the public, warning people who litter, monitoring litter bins and liaising with beach cleaners on litter hotspots.

Availability of public toilets:

From May 30, 11 beach public toilets were opened between 10am and 5pm.

The council has increased the toilet cleaning to extend the opening hours to a daily schedule between 8.30am and 9.30am.

Toilets will be closed between 5.30pm and 8pm, starting with those with the lowest footfall. Toilets at main bays will be open until at least 7pm.

Unlicenced businesses:

Any business using the beaches and foreshores will require a licence. Those without a licence will not be permitted to operate and appropriate enforcement action will be taken.

Illegal launching of boats:

The council will work in partnership with the Water User Group, bay inspectors and the RNLI to monitor seafront barriers and ensure they remain locked to non-registered users.

Meanwhile, seafront lifts at Viking Bay and Ramsgate Main Sands remain closed due to social distancing measures.

And the council is sand levelling, turning on water supplies and showers and suitable toilet provision to enable Your Leisure to install beach huts between the end of June and early July.

Cllr Everitt added: “Following the government’s easing of restrictions, like many coastal resorts, Thanet experienced a large and sudden influx of visitors to its beaches and open spaces.

"At any other time, the prospect of thousands travelling to our beaches would be something to celebrate but, in the circumstances, it created major logistical problems.

"Many businesses were not open, the normal preparations for the season had not been put in place and additional measures were needed to manage hygiene and social distancing in our public toilets.

“The council responded quickly with online information campaigns and signage across the coastline reminding people to maintain a safe distance, to use the bins provided and that normal facilities were not in place.

"There was also a phased reopening of our public toilets, additional bins were provided and cleansing team rotas were extended to provide service levels normally seen in the peak of the summer season!

Allen Head, RNLI lifesaving manager for Thanet, said: “This has been a challenging start to the season on Thanet’s beaches because of the unseasonably warm weather and the sudden easing of travel restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic.

"We’ve been working closely with Thanet District Council to roll out lifeguard cover as rapidly as possible and will be supporting their beach management plan throughout the next few months to keep local beaches as safe as possible.”

The full plan can be found here.

Read more: All the latest news from Thanet