THIRTY electric barbecues will be installed along the seafront in a bid to reduce the number of disposable ones used on the beach this summer.

Round-the-clock beach patrols, tow-away zones, a park-and-ride site and 75 more seafront staff are also part of BCP Council's plans to manage the area's beaches, town centres, parks and open spaces as the weather improves and lockdown is lifted.

A further £2.5million has been added to the council’s seasonal response plans to make sure the resort is prepared for when visitors are able to return.

Launching on Monday March 29, a multi-agency command control centre (MACC) will be in operation until the end of September.

What happened in Dorset last summer during lockdown

Additional staff have been recruited to welcome people, keep the beaches clean and safe, and provide a greater security presence.

Traffic management at key locations including Sandbanks Ferry, Sandbanks car park, Branksome Chine, Alum Chine, Bath Road North/ South car park, Overstrand and Sea Road car park, Avon Beach car park, and Mudeford Quay car park will be improved.

Tow away zones will deal with illegal parking and the council is looking for a suitable park-and-ride site.

There will also be triple-sized bins, more rubbish collections, 30 electric barbecues and overnight patrols to deal with camping and bonfires.

Public toilets will remain open with extended opening times into the evenings at key sites, and additional cleansing operations will be in place.

Chaotic scenes at Bournemouth beach in summer 2020

The plan has been put in place after huge visitor numbers led to a major incident being declared last summer.

Councillor Mohan Iyengar, Portfolio holder for Tourism, Leisure and Culture, said: "We welcome responsible visitors to our resort - people who will treat things with care, behave reasonably and pick up after themselves. We are determined to give people a great vacation and leave with amazing memories. We want to give local people the confidence to come back out and enjoy their home towns."

Dorset Police will also have a summer policing plan in place.

Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Mark Callaghan said: "We fully expect the numbers of people travelling into Dorset this summer for a staycation to be higher than ever before.

"We are committed to leading policing operations to deal with the extra demand summer will bring, while still being able to provide effective services to our communities. This will involve working proactively with our partners to coordinate and strengthen plans to keep both residents and visitors safe.

Air ambulances land at crowded Durdle Door beach

"We will be increasing our visibility and our officers and staff will be out there speaking directly to people in the community."

Cllr Iyengar added: "This last year has been tremendously challenging for our tourism and hospitality sector and we’re pulling out all the stops to make 2021 the year of opportunity by engineering the fastest bounceback possible.

"Our hotels, restaurants, bars, cafés, and many more businesses are all gearing up to welcome people back when it’s safe to do so."

Last month the council launched a £1million readiness package ahead of the government’s roadmap being announced. The council has now set aside a further £2.5million via additional government grants to fund the enhanced plan.