RESIDENTS say they have resorted to clearing sand from the promenade at Hengistbury Head because the council does not go the whole way along it.

Linda and Jeremy Thompson spent three hours on Saturday morning, February 18, with a shovel and broom, clearing the sand.

Mrs Thompson said: “There’s about a 100m stretch, they just don’t clear it, they just leave it, so it builds up and builds up,”

“My husband and I have just watched people in wheelchairs, people with pushchairs, on scooters and bikes, you can’t go along it.”

She said they had been told by a council worker last year that the stretch of promenade does not require vehicular access, so it isn’t cleared as regularly.

“We live here, and yet you’re doing it for everybody else, for all the vehicles but you’re not doing it for us,” she said.

“So, yet again my husband and I just went down there, and quite a few people actually saw us, we’re not young, we’re both 67, and we spent three hours literally digging and shovelling.”

The pair were joined by another person who helped to clear away the sand. They said  passing residents thanked them for doing it, but said that they shouldn’t need to.

Mrs Thompson added: “An elderly couple walked past with their walking sticks; this particular couple hadn’t been along this stretch because they couldn’t walk on the sandy promenade.

“But they did today, so they were very happy.”

Mrs Thompson even offered to continue clearing the sand on behalf of the council.

“I’ll get in the bulldozer, let me get in it, I’ll do it and the guy can sit there and have a cuppa,” she said.

A BCP Council spokesperson said keeping the promenade clear of sand is “incredibly challenging”, with different sections prioritised over others, especially during the winter, when storms can move 10,000 tonnes of sand off the beach, taking 14 days to clear.

The spokesperson said: "Our beach cleansing team works seven days a week, all year round, to keep our beaches clean and to clear wind-blown sand from the promenade.

"When sand is deposited on the promenade, the team will first create a pathway along its entire length to ensure emergency vehicle access is possible.

"They will then clear the busier areas of the seafront with a beach tractor and, where vehicular access is not possible, work with shovels and brushes to clear the remainder.

"Going forward, recruitment for the summer means we will have additional staffing resources to ensure the seafront is ready for Easter.”