Martin Terry, Southend councillor in charge in of community safety, said: “I’m relieved that the police have given us assurances that they will have a presence there for the rest of the summer. “If it’s dealt with robustly and the presence is consistently there, I can’t see it being closed again. “We can’t have the seafront like the wild west, what’s been happening is frightening. “We didn’t want to close the seafront, it was forced upon us by these dangerous drivers.” Earlier this month, police officers were injured after objects were thrown at them in a rowdy seafront car meet.
SEAFRONT traders could be taken to court after refusing to pay membership levies to Southend BID, it has been revealed. A number of businesses failed to pay the annual £455 membership levy during the Covid-19 pandemic, citing frustrations at cancelled events. Now, Southend Council is taking legal action with one trader who failed to pay receiving court summons. Traders pointed towards cancelled events during the pandemic, in firework displays and the Christmas lights switch-on, as reasons for their lack of payment. However, the BID team have insisted it is a legal requirement to pay.
READ MORE: Martin Richardson, the owner of the Happidrome Arcade, is set to appear in court on August 3 to answer his lack of payment.
A PETITION to “Save Southend seafront” from another weekend of road closures has been launched by furious business bosses. The closure of Western Esplanade to stop car cruisers using the Golden Mile as a drag strip left businesses “empty” and sending staff home. Bosses have claimed that senior police officers told traders and councillors at a joint meeting on Monday that the seafront “doesn’t need to close”, due to the introduction of 50 police officers on the seafront this summer. The petition urges Southend Council not to re-introduce the seafront closure this weekend.
READ MORE: The Echo revealed plans for another illegal car meet on Saturday evening, just a week after another event was cancelled because of the road closure.
A CHILD was left screaming in agony after stepping where a disposable barbecue with searing hot coals had been on the beach. Jo Paic, who visited Thorpe Bay over the weekend, told how her two-year-old niece Sadie was left with her feet singed and covered in blisters after walking where a “boiling hot” tin barbecue had been, unbeknown to her. Rushing her home, the family put her feet in a bath of cold water before ringing 999, with the little one rushed to Southend A&E. She was then taken to the specialist burns unit at Broomfield Hospital, although managed to escape with nasty superficial blisters.
She said: “These people walk down the seafront like they own it at the moment.” Chief Inspector Ian Hughes, District Commander for Southend, assured the force is “dealing robustly” with anyone intent on committing crime. He said: Southend is a safe place to live, work and enjoy but I understand some incidents in recent months have caused concerns. “In the year to the end of June we’ve seen overall crime in Southend fall as well as violence with injury offences and we are dealing robustly with anyone who’s intent on committing crime here. “Earlier this month we launched a plan with our partners from the council, fire service, Southend BID, and businesses which is seeing increased visibility along the seafront and elsewhere