A council team of 100 staff are working to keep visitors in Southend safe, as the authority encourages day trippers to make the most of the heatwave safely.

As the hot weather continues, Southend Council is urging visitors to visit Southend safely and bin their litter or take it home with them.

The plea comes following a very busy weekend, when waste and parks teams had to deal with an unprecedented amount of litter and rubbish across our seven miles of award-winning beaches and parks.

It comes as forecasters say temperatures across the UK are set to soar once again this weekend - with parts of the country reaching 34C (and hotter than the Caribbean).

READ MORE >>> Met Office weather: UK weekend heatwave means it'll be hotter than Caribbean

Visitors and day-trippers are also being urged to check the tide times before en

More than 100 council staff will be on duty each day across the borough, including:

· 47 Veolia staff working shifts that cover from 4.30am to 11pm. These staff will be working hard across the entire seafront raking the beach, emptying bins, litter picking, street sweeping and cleaning public toilets

· 20 civil enforcement officers, tackling problem parking and helping to keep traffic moving

· 16 community safety officers working across the Borough

· 6 parking marshalls across Seaway, Fairheads Green and Gasworks car parks helping people to purchase tickets and manage traffic flows in and out of these busy car parks

· 6 foreshore officers patrolling the seafront, from East Beach to Two Tree Island · 5 parks staff who will be visiting parks and playgrounds across the Borough

· 3 CCTV staff who operate the council’s CCTV room, and link in with local police, BID and council officers and contractors on-call

· 2 BID street rangers who are focussed on the High Street and central seafront area

· 6 volunteer beach welfare officers will also be on duty from 10am to 4pm, operating out of the Jubilee Beach office.

Kevin Robinson, cabinet member for business, culture and tourism, said: “It is more important that people can Visit Southend safely and respect the local area and environment. We have seven miles of wonderful blue flag and seaside award winning beaches, so please make use of that space and stay safe by staying apart.

“We are expecting lots of visitors again this week and into the weekend, so we have over 100 staff from a variety of teams in place who will be working hard to deal with all the challenges that we know we will face.”

Carole Mulroney, cabinet member for environment and planning, says: “We know the benefit tourism has for our local traders, and the challenges they face dealing with the current restrictions, so please respect their guidance so that everyone stays safe and enjoys their time in the glorious sunshine.”

Suzanne Gloyne, Southend BID Manager, says: “We’re pleased that we can welcome you back again to our shops, restaurants, bars and attractions in sunny Southend but we must all continue to respect safety measures in place. Our Street Rangers will be around all weekend to help businesses and advise visitors.

“Please remember your face covering, sanitise your hands regularly, keep your distance from others, and enjoy Southend safely in this warmer weather.”