SANDS NASTY
Our beach is destroyed… shocked tourists say they’ve seen toilet paper in the sea – but council claims it’s ‘seaweed’
SHOCKED tourists have vowed never to return to a popular UK beach resort in disgust at what they've been faced by in the sea.
Visitors to Margate on the Kent coastline have complained about being confronted by soiled toilet paper and sanitary towels.
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Yet council chiefs have insisted instead the blame should be on a surprise summer influx of seaweed at Margate Main Sands.
Scathing reviews are being shared online, despite an apparent renaissance in recent years involving artists such as Tracey Emin.
One recent visitor told of their ordeal on travel website TripAdvisor, the reported.
They described not being able to escape swiftly enough when discovering "poo-streaked toilet paper" in the "filthy" waters.
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Their post told of going into the sea with a three-year-old granddaughter and how wading through seaweed was "not a problem, but there was lots of poo-streaked toilet paper and a dirty sanitary towel".
The tourist added: "I couldn't get out of there fast enough - really shocked at the filth, especially as people were swimming nearby".
Another holiday-maker taking in Margate with grandchildren described their visit as the "worst day trip ever".
They warned others: "First thing you notice on emerging from the train station is the smell of sewage everywhere.
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"The beach was full of rubbish, broken glass and large flies - and the sea was full of seaweed and more rubbish."
And one of the most recent reviews says of Margate: "It's a dump - I would never go back, I think that's enough said really.
"I'm from a dump of a town - I didn't think things could get much worse, then I went to Margate."
Thanet District Council, which oversees the resort, has highlighted what they call "unusually high levels of seaweed" this year.
In a statement, they told how staff had collected 1,000 tonnes over five weeks since the start of last month - compared to usual whole-summer levels between 400 and 800 tonnes.
Possible causes have been identified as rough seas, higher tides and strong winds this season.
A council spokesperson told Sun Online: "Thanet has 19 miles of beautiful coastline and the council, along with its partners, works hard all year round to try and keep it in the best condition possible.
"Thanet has a number of Blue Flag beaches - Blue Flags are the gold standard for cleanliness, bathing water quality, beach facilities and safety.
"These beaches are awarded good and excellent bathing water quality by the Environment Agency.
"They are tested weekly by the EA during the bathing water season and must pass stringent tests to maintain water quality.
"Seaweed is a natural occurrence on our coastline and the chalk reef where it grows is protected by law. This means we are not able to remove seaweed from some locations.
"This year has seen unusually high levels of seaweed on some of our beaches.
"It's hard to pinpoint exactly what has caused the higher amounts of seaweed to be deposited on our beaches this year.
"It is affected by various environmental conditions including wind direction, sea temperatures and how the wind direction/speed has coincided with tidal states."
There have been more positive online reviews, however, of a town whose average TripAdvisor rating is four out of five.
One fan praised Margate's "lovely large beach" and "soft sand" while also describing it as "very clean".
The town's Old Town district has also been recommended on TripAdvisor as a place "filled with independent cafes" and where "it's great to stop and relax".
Margate has won rave reviews this summer for featuring what was described as "the most baffling tourist attraction".
The town is also home to one of the oldest theme parks in the UK, as well as a secret beach with one of Britain's biggest sea lidos.
Graffiti artist Banksy recently chose the town for a painting, while Emin - who grew up in Margate - opened her new gallery there.
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And the resort was used as a film location for the blockbuster Sam Mendes film Empire of Light, starring Olivia Coleman.
During the 1980s Margate was the setting for the "Jolly Boys' Outing" episode of BBC sitcom Only Fools And Horses, as well as the subject of a single by Chas and Dave.
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