Pictures show busy Clacton beach over the weekend

Clacton was celebrating its 150th anniversary yesterday and the packed seafront suggested it was as popular as ever.

The seafront was full of visitors and residents who were keen to soak up the sunshine after what had been a disappointing summer so far.

The temperatures were as hot as in Miami and the Bahamas and there were no complaints from either families enjoying their day out nor the businesses who were serving them.

The beaches, attractions, bars and restaurants were all packed over the weekend.

Business bosses said the trade was good and they said it was a relief to see the seafront busy especially after being hit by recent lockdowns.

Clacton is also proving popular with visitors enjoying a staycation amidst the confusion over foreign travel.

Charmaine Gibson, 41, owner of the Pink Palace Hotel on Clacton seafront, said her business was fully booked and customers kept coming in asking if there were any spare rooms.

She said: “I could have sold my hotel rooms ten times over at the weekend and we were fully booked from Wednesday.

“We had so many people coming in and looking for rooms and bookings all the time but sadly we couldn’t help them and had to send them away.

“It is so good to be open and booked up after the Covid lockdowns and it is amazing to see the town thriving again and see people happy and less scared about being out and enjoying themselves.

“We’ve got lots of regular customers but we’re getting lots of new customers coming in and some of these people would have gone abroad but can’t due to the pandemic.

“We’re also seeing people staying longer too and coming for the week or whole weekends.”