HOMELESS people, who are believed to have set up a camp on Southend’s cliffs, have sparked a grass fire.

The Echo has uncovered evidence of people living in the fenced-off area above Western Esplanade, which suffered a slippage ten years ago.

Following the grass fire, which firefighters believe was sparked by a botched attempt at cooking, a tent, mattress, sleeping bag and evidence of a recent camp fire were found.

Derek Jarvis, the Tory councillor responsible for the seafront, said: “We have had reports in the past of people camping in there, although we did not think it was necessarily the homeless.

“It seems it has been used by people who want to stay there for the night.”

The fenced-off area has been off-limits to the public since 2002, when a huge chunk of the cliffs slipped into Western Esplanade, leaving the Cliffs Bandstand tottering on the edge of disaster.

The slippage followed earlier problems in 2001 and 1998.

Council chiefs have made repeated bids to secure the millions of pounds needed to stabilise the area, but in the meantime it has become a dense forest of weeds and long grass.

The overgrown foliage means the area cannot be easily patrolled by council wardens or police.

Firefighters were called to a patch at the northern end just after 1.30pm on Friday.

Once the blaze had been extinguished, the Echo explored the area and found the camping gear, as well as plastic bags, polythene sheets, broken glass and other litter.

A fence blocking the main route to Clifftown Parade has been broken, allowing easy access to the site.

A spokesman for Southend Council said: “We have had to ask single men to leave the area before now.

“It is fenced off for a reason. It is dangerous and people should avoid going there for obvious reasons.”