THOUSANDS of visitors flocked to Maldon to enjoy the sunshine during the first May bank holiday weekend.

The very warm weather resulted in a busy weekend for Maldon and the many attractions of Promenade Park, including the outdoor cinema on Friday, a compost giveaway on Sunday and the popular bank holiday Monday market.

More than 5,000 children were playing in the Maldon Splashpark throughout the three days and vast numbers enjoyed the sea breeze and coastal views of the area.

A spokesman for Maldon District Council said: "Welcoming thousands visitors is not without its challenges. The council’s parks & countryside staff were out in force and working hard in the heat to tackle more than 20 metric tons of waste. The clean-up continued through Tuesday and filled a 40-yard skip twice-over.

"We would like to thank the vast majority of park users who appropriately disposed of their litter or took it home with them. Regrettably a small number of people do not take responsibility for the waste and vastly increase the pressure on our parks teams."

Bob Boyce, chairman of the council’s community services committee, said: “This was the busiest first May bank holiday weekend for quite a few years and it was lovely to see so many people enjoying the Park.

"However, the volume of litter left behind was disappointing and, whilst we welcome visitors to our park, we would respectfully ask them to help us keep the park a clean place for everyone by disposing of their litter responsibly.”