AS A councillor for Bournemouth's East Cliff, I have received many angry messages from residents about the chaos on the beaches and cliffs last weekend.

They rightly complain that the council shouldn't have opened up the car parks without opening all the toilets, and that the subsequent stench from behind the beach huts was overwhelming.

They say that rubbish bins were overflowing by midday, that people were camping and having noisy gatherings overnight in vans on green spaces, and that there were a lot of dogs, barbecues and rubbish on the beach, with too few staff to patrol.

This really highlights the weakness of the BCP Unity Alliance, who are totally inexperienced.

They should have anticipated the effect of the forecast glorious weather and been better prepared.

Staff should have been redeployed from other departments to help their overwhelmed colleagues on the seafront.

Although I have represented this area for over twenty years, there was no consultation with me or my colleagues, even though we well know what it's like every hot weekend in summer.

We were completely ignored, because we belong to the "wrong" political group, despite this not being in any way a party political problem.

Bumbling, well-meaning efforts are simply not enough.

We need the council to be run efficiently by people who know what they're doing if we are to bring our beautiful area back to being recognised as Britain's Premier Resort.

CLLR ANNE FILER

East Cliff & Springbourne Ward