As reported, dozens of tents were pitched on the sand across the heatwave weekend of August 8 and August 9.

This sparked a furious response from residents, with one describing it as "zero-value tourism" and another slamming the behaviour as "an absolute disgrace".

Read more: Spate of Bournemouth beach campers anger residents

While the number of tents has dropped since the weekend, residents who live near the beach have reported that rulebreakers continue to pitch up on the seafront.

This morning a West Cliff resident said he there was now eight overnight tents at Durley Chine, down from 18 over the weekend.

However, he said they were all stopping the council's tractor from doing its morning task on the sand. He asked BCP Council on Twitter why they had not been moved on.

On Sunday, BCP Council leader Vikki Slade said the local authority needed police assistance with the issue but from the force's perspective she said "there is no direct harm caused by camping and it is not the highest priority".

Tents pitched on Bournemouth beach photographed on the morning of Sunday, August 9

"We could spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on security, but there isn't a magic money tree," said Cllr Slade.

The council held an “emergency meeting” yesterday with senior figures from across the organisation meeting to discuss ongoing issues. Among the topics discussed at the meeting was the potential for “additional resources” to be put in in a bid to tackle the problem.