A TRADER is furious the council has removed two litter bins from Canvey’s busiest beach.

Castle Point Council took away the bins on the main access path to Concord Beach, off Eastern Esplanade, close to the Concord Cafe, before Christmas.

The council removed them because of their poor condition.

Lea Swann, 57, who runs the cafe, assumed the bins would be replaced before the summer season.

However, she recently discovered there were no plans to replace them.

Mrs Swann warned the decision left just four bins along the beach, which she claimed would be unable to contain all the litter produced by families visiting on sunny days.

She said: “It’s absolutely ridiculous, considering this beach gets really busy.

“We thought they were either going to fix up, or replace the bins, not scrap them completely.

“They were in a perfect spot, on the main exit to the beach, where families could leave their litter on the way out.

“There will be nowhere near enough bins now, which means they’ll overflow and leave the beach in a terrible mess.”

The loss of the bins also upset the Friends of Concord Beach residents’ group, which was set up last year to improve the appearance of the popular visitors’ spot.

Dot Palmer, 63, of Linden Way, Canvey, a trustee of the group, said: “It’s disgraceful because they know a lot of people go on that beach.

“Not everyone is going to take their rubbish home with them.

“We obviously needed all the bins we had before, because they used to be filled right up at the end of busy days.

“The council will make the beach look like a tip by the time it’s finished.”

A spokesman for Castle Point Council said: “Two old, tatty bins have been removed and at the moment there are no plans to replace them.

“The contract to empty the bins is performance-based, which means they will be emptied when they become too full, so there should not be an issue with littering in the Concord Beach area.”