Normstock: Traders round on council

They fear the sea of broken bottles left by revellers at Fatboy Slim's party between the piers could pose a health hazard big enough to affect the city's tourist trade.

Although the huge clean-up operation, now in its third day, continues with teams of "pickers" clearing tons of plastic bottles, cups, cigarette packets, lighters, clothes and burned-out fires, many believe they are fighting a losing battle against the glass.

They fear shards of razor-edge pieces are slipping between the pebbles and could reappear in the future when moved by tides or walkers.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, warned it could take years for the glass to be cleared or made safe by wear and tear.

And Keep Britain Tidy condemned revellers who took glass bottles onto the beach as "totally irresponsible".

However, Brighton and Hove City Council said it was confident broken glass would not be an issue.

A spokesman said 110 tons of rubbish had been collected and the beach was expected to be completely cleared by the end of today.

Although the council could never promise the beach was 100 per cent clear of glass, the area would be "very, very thoroughly cleaned".

But as traders continued cleaning up last night, they accused revellers of trashing the city and ruining the beach.

"Reckless", "disaster", "dangerous" and "filthy" were among words used by angry shopkeepers and businesses.

Some accused the council and police of a lack of intelligence in organising the event. Others said it was only luck there wasn't a major disaster.

Many traders rounded on the council and accused it of cashing in on the event while failing to provide enough back-up services such as bins and toilets.

Although bars only served drinks in plastic bottles or cups, revellers brought beer and wine bottles by the caseload on to the beach.

Some described how the seafront was awash with urine. One retailer described seafront walls as being "like Niagara Falls". Another mimicked the slogan that won Brighton and Hove city status: "Brighton and Hove - the place to pee."

But the greatest concern surrounds the glass and the potential long-term effects it could have on the city's tourist trade.

Eamon Coyle, photographer and owner of Seafront Image, called the event "an absolute bloody disgrace".

He said: "How could they have failed to notice a quarter of a million people on their way here? They started coming at noon and by the afternoon it was a torrent. By 4.30pm it was dangerous. They were just very, very lucky to get away with it.

"The council and the police let this take place in a narrow corridor of land with sea on one side and 30ft-high walls on the other. It was a reckless operation all round.

"On Sunday morning you could not see the beach for broken bottles. The beach is destroyed and the chances are this has probably ruined it for the rest of the season."

Mr Coyle was highly critical of the police.

Ray Cook, owner of Ray's Shellfish stall, has worked on the seafront for 22 years.

He said: "I earned a lot of money on Saturday but the people who came here trashed the city - my city - and I don't want to see it again.

"The mess left behind has made the beach a virtual no-go area. People can't go on there with all that glass and you certainly couldn't take children on it."

The revellers climbed on top of Ray's beach hut and damaged it in the process.

Mr Cook lay the blame at the council's door.

He said: "I have been on the seafront for 22 years but some of these councillors have not been in the town for 22 years."

Mr Cook said the lack of toilet facilities were to blame for the huge clean-up operation.

He said: "The stench was appalling. We've renamed it the place to pee.

Beach cleaner Emma Davies, 28, was among the 24-hour team of pickers at work.

She said: "The plastic and the paper we can clear. But the glass will take weeks and weeks, if not longer.

"You can clear the top layer of shingle but the broken pieces fall between the pebbles and go deeper.

"There are shards of glass sticking up all over the place and it will resurface for a long time to come.

"The only way to find it was to get down on hands and knees and pick it out.

"Perhaps Fatboy Slim should have given out plastic bin bags for people to have taken their rubbish away with them."

Arun Patel, manager of the Fortune of War bar, said traders felt let down by the council.

He said: "The council wanted to capitalise on what happened last year but how can they expect to have a bigger event with the same number of staff?

"We had to deal with everything ourselves, including the policing and medical issues. We called an ambulance at 8.15pm for a woman who had collapsed and just after 10pm they rang back to see if we still needed it.

"Now the beach is filthy, it smells and is dangerous. It's covered in glass and who knows what other dangerous things? The whole manner in which this was organised was rubbish.

Sammy Coull and Peter Gillespie, from the Beach Break fish and chip bar, had a bumper day's takings on Saturday followed by nothing on Sunday.

Police cordoned off the area around their takeaway, where a woman had fallen from railings.

Mr Gillespie said: "We worked 17 hours on Saturday but on Sunday we couldn't even get into the place. All we had was the smell of stale beer and urine. For us the weekend turned into a disaster.

"In July we'd expect families here but you can't let children on a beach covered in glass."

Dave Downer, chairman of the Brighton & Hove Seafront Traders Association, said the party was held in the wrong place.

He said "The beach is narrow and people are hemmed in by the sea and the high walls. We have to count our blessings we got off quite lightly as it could have got very ugly."

Mr Downer said glass should never have been allowed on to the pebbles.

He said: "Beaches and glass don't mix. They are like electricity and water."

On Sunday, he had to treat an eight-year-old girl who had cut her foot on the beach.

The traders would be seeking an urgent meeting with the council in the aftermath of the event.

Errol Tompkins, treasurer of the association, said the combination of broken glass and rusty nails, left after old wood was burned on fires, was a danger to all beachgoers.

He suggested Shoreham beach, close to where Fatboy Slim's home, would have been a better location for the event.

He said: "I'm thinking about saving my urine for the next six months and then going and pouring it on Fatboy Slim's doorstep."

Peter Avey, a former lifeguard from Seasiders cafe, said broken glass could be lethal. He said: "I was a lifeguard for 20 years. I've seen toes hanging off where people have trodden on a broken bottle.

"I'm sure the council are doing their best but it is physically impossible to pick up every piece of glass from a beach."

But not everyone gave the council a tongue-lashing.

Terry O'Riordan, owner of Jaws Fish Bar, said: "The only thing the council is guilty of is being successful.

"In its wildest dreams it never thought it would have 250,000 people here.

"But it was extensively advertised in London and elsewhere and it seems every man and his dog came.

"There is a mountain of rubbish but the council can't work miracles and clear it overnight.

"I spent two hours on Sunday morning clearing up. They were all peeing up against the walls but I just got on with it.

"I don't even know who Norman Cook is but he obviously has 250,000 mates and can throw a good party."

Steve Poole, vice chairman of the traders' association, called it a "fabulous" night.

He said: "I think we were all taken aback by the numbers involved but it is a learning curve for everyone.

"It's very easy to knock it but I think the important thing now is to learn from this experience.

"Talk to supermarkets and off-licences about stocking up on plastic bottles for big events such as this and stopping people bringing glass on to the beach."

Angela Howard, regional director of the Keep Britain Tidy Group which awards blue flags for clean beaches, said trying to get glass out of shingle was a "nightmare".

She said: "Clearing glass off pebbles is extremely difficult because it cannot be raked off as it can on sandy beaches.

"Although bar and cafe owners have acted correctly by using plastic bottles and glasses, people who brought bottles on to the pebbles have been terribly irresponsible."

Peter Cornall, head of water and leisure at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: "Unless the glass is manually picked up there is no easy way to clear it.

"You are probably looking at a number of years before the sharp edges are rounded off by the waves.

"Treading on a broken bottle can cause horrendous cuts. I have seen children who have needed 21 stitches in their foot."

He said a shoulder to shoulder line of volunteers could be the only way to clear the beach immediately.

Mum Joanna Zara had planned to take her two-and-a-half year-old son Michael for a play on the beach yesterday but changed her mind when she saw the debris.

She said: "It's shocking to see the amount of rubbish still on the beach and going into the sea.

"But the most worrying thing is the glass. I'm not taking him on the beach until I'm sure it is clear."