TEN TONNES of rubbish were collected from Southend seafront after the busiest weekend of the season.

Southend Council has praised its contractors for their efforts over the hot weekend.

Tony Cox, councillor responsible for waste collection, said: “I think Cory has done a fantastic job. I’m really pleased with how the cleaning operations have been carried out over the recent weekends, and especially the weekend just gone, which was our busiest yet.

“We deploy additional resources over the summer and continually review operations to take into account factors such as school holidays and hot weather.

“There are more than 300 litter bins along the seafront and extra bins are placed on to the beach.

“It’s always a challenge to keep the area clear, as visitors tend to stay later on into the evenings, so we ensure cleaning staff work later and then early the next morning.

“In any event, as soon as the beaches are clear, we are able to access any waste more easily.”

He added visitors were also encouraged to take their litter off the beaches