Council and Veolia staff have been thanked for their incredible efforts over the hottest weekend of the year, which saw tens of thousands of visitors flock to Southend’s seven miles of coastline.
With temperatures reaching 28 degrees last weekend, Southend welcomed a huge influx of visitors to the town to bask in the June sunshine. As part of Operation Heatwave, additional resources were in place for the weekend, with those staff now being thanked by the council’s cabinet members for waste and public protection.
Over the weekend, Veolia staff collected close to 30 tonnes of waste – the equivalent of four full bin lorries, or 500 seals - alongside additional street cleansing crews blitzing the streets, emptying large ‘euro bins’ placed in key locations along the seafront, keeping the toilets facilities clean and sanitised and extra cleaning of the beaches in the morning and evening. Extra parks staff also ensured our busy parks and open spaces were regularly litter picked, with bins emptied throughout the weekend. Our pier and foreshore staff were also on hand across the seafront to help with first aid, and provide information, advice and guidance to visitors.
Cllr Carole Mulroney, cabinet member for environment, culture, tourism and planning, said: “Veolia crews staff work incredibly hard year-round, but I must say they have worked tremendously hard during what was a scorching hot weekend in the town. The working conditions were extremely challenging, but they worked tirelessly to keep the town tidy, particularly when clearing up in the evenings and mornings following huge crowds on our beaches. Our own parks, pier and foreshore staff also worked hard across the weekend to keep our parks, open spaces and foreshore clean, safe and welcoming.
“I would like to personally thank all staff who were working for their time and effort over the weekend. We have received a number of positive comments from residents and business owners for the fantastic work they done, and they are a credit to the council and to Veolia.”
In addition, the council’s community safety unit also worked throughout the weekend, supporting partners at Essex Police and Southend BID by providing a visible presence, dealing with anti-social behaviour incidents and also providing medical assistance where needed. Over the weekend eight community safety officers patrolled the Borough and responded to a number of incidents, including working with CCTV staff to help reunite missing children with their families and help the police and community safety staff respond to any incidents. Parking enforcement staff were also on hand to deal with irresponsible and dangerous parking.
Cllr Martin Terry, cabinet member for public protection, said: “Our community safety unit are a vital resource for the town, assisting Essex Police in managing the thousands of visitors we see come to our town. Over the weekend, the officers were faultless, responding to a number of incidents across the two days, supporting Essex Police, and also helping local people and visitors alike enjoy their time in Southend safely.
“I thank each and every officer for their work, helping to make Southend a safe place to live and visit. I would also like to thank all local businesses for ensuring they are playing a key role in keeping Southend-on-Sea safe and welcoming during these busy times. It was great to see our seafront buzzing and vibrant again, and we must all keep up this hard work throughout what will be a busy staycation summer.”