More 'robust fines' and 'harsher enforcement' needs to be introduced to deal with people flouting beach camping rules across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
That's the view of one senior councillor after thousands of people flocked to beaches across the conurbation during the heatwave of the past few days, many of them setting up camp for the night on the sands.
The illegal act has left residents frustrated, with litter strewn across the seafront as the large vehicles who clear the beaches of rubbish are often unable to complete the early morning beach sweeps.
Litter, tents, and overnight sleepers could be seen scattered across the coast over the weekend and into the start of this week as temperatures rocketed across Dorset.
It comes despite pleas by BCP Council for people to take their litter home, and a no camping rule on the beaches.
BCP Council said they handed out 22 'eviction notices' on Tuesday morning to people camping on the beach.
And on Monday morning, they had collected 35 tonnes of waste from the conurbation's seafront bins alone.
One resident who captured some early morning video and pictures said: "It's disgusting the rubbish left on the beach."
Those who choose to camp on the beach have been warned they will be repeatedly disturbed by the council's 24-hour beach patrol.
Read more: Scenes at Bournemouth beach following heatwave
Leader of the Lib Dem group, former council leader Vikki Slade says BCP Council needs to do more, and that the laws to prevent the overnight sleepers are "old and ineffective".
She said: "The fines you get are pathetic and you have to go via the court so it's very likely that anyone will ever get fined. It means people think they can get away with it.
"At the minute we're waking them up every hour, that is not a sustainable solution. We've got to be more rigorous.
"I think the answer is to upgrade our bylaws so it allows us to give immediate penalties.
The fines should be bigger, more robust and easier to act on."
Cllr Slade also said the campers are causing difficulties for the large vehicles that complete the early morning beach sweeps.
"It means you have to have hand litter pickers and they can only get the surface litter.
There's a lot of stuff buried like glass and dog waste. The big vehicles dig deeper which is the key to having a safe beach."
The Daily Echo asked BCP Council why people camping on the beaches weren't being moved on, if harsher enforcement was an option to prevent further instances over the summer and how many staff they had dealing with enforcement issues.
A response from a spokesperson at BCP Council said: "Overnight camping on the beach is not permitted and this morning, we had an enforcement team out patrolling the beaches who issued 22 eviction notices.
"There are many options to stay overnight in BCP with hotels, B&Bs and over 100 camping sites in Dorset to choose from."
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