A NEW initiative to keep Southend seafront visitors safe is set to be put in force this weekend.

Operation Heatwave – which brings together teams responsible for highways, parking, waste, the police and local businesses through the Southend Business Improvement District – aims to prevent and respond to issues that arise when the sun comes out during weekends or school holidays, drawing thousands of visitors from near and far.

With sunshine and fair weather forecast for the weekend, high numbers of visitors are expected to visit the town, massively benefitting the local economy. To prepare for the visitor boom, local organisations are jointly preparing to roll out a number of measures that will help relieve stress on local roads and car parks, tackle beach litter and quickly reunite any lost children with their families.

Ann Holland, councillor responsible for culture, tourism and the economy, said: “It’s all about providing a safe and pleasant visitor experience that leaves people wanting to return to our town.

“We want to make it as easy as possible for visitors to reach the seafront, respond swiftly if children become lost from their parents, and keep our town and award-winning beaches as clean as possible.

“We can only achieve this by working closely together, planning ahead and ensuring we have resources available when they are most needed.

“I’m pleased to see the good progress on this new operation, which I hope will bring mutual benefits to visitors, residents and local businesses alike.”

Under the scheme, the council will encourage parking in town centre car parks to ease the strain on seafront ones.

Overflow car parking at Southend Civic Centre and the Beecroft Gallery will also be signed from Victoria Avenue.

Visitors are also being urged to use trains to ease road congestion.

The Blue Flag award-winning beaches at Shoebury Common and Thorpe Bay will also be promoted, to encourage visits to these less visited areas.

The council’s waste contractor, Veolia, is putting extra staff on standby to quickly respond to any issues of beach littering.

Southend BID will be continuing to promote its wristband scheme, which aims to reunite lost children with their families.

Southend is one of the country’s most popular seaside destinations welcoming approximately 6.5 million visitors each year.

For the latest visitor information www.visitsouthend.co.uk