CANVEY has a more tropical look after palm trees were planted.

The exotic trees now line Thorney Bay beach thanks to the handiwork of hardworking volunteers.

The Bay Watch group decided the shores of Canvey were in need of the trees that are normally associated with sunny island holidays.

Volunteer John Webb, of Janette Avenue, Canvey, said: “It looks fantastic. At the moment we have two, but we want at least 12 and are looking for people willing to sponsor them.

“When we started a year ago we had a list of things we wanted to do and the trees were on there.

“They look really good and it’s gradually improving.”

The two palm trees have been planted near the memorial and on the beach.

The dedicated volunteers have breathed new life into the bay with new benches and a colourful mural on the seawall.

Many of the volunteers share fond memories of the beach from their childhoods and were determined to bring it back to its former glory.

Mr Webb said: “A lot of us were born here and it was a boating port with a walkway across.

When it was demolished in the Sixties it was just left to ruin. I couldn’t believe the state of it.”

As a result of the beach’s popularity, Castle Point Council plans to expand the car park to cope with growing demand.

The council is bidding for £50,000 from the Government’s Coastal Communities Fund to extend and improve the car park, which has 22 spaces.

There are also plans to install a toilet block and plant more trees.

The group meets every Tuesday at 10am for about three hours at Thorney Bay beach.