Illegal campers on Cliff Gardens have been served an ultimatum by Southend Council.

The authority said it had successfully helped 19 homeless people move from the illegal camp but council leader Ron Woodley urged the remaining ten to accept a final offer of help.

He said: “I urge those camping on the cliffs to take up our final offers of help. Having made several attempts to engage with those on the cliffs and achieving success in several cases, we are getting to the stage where we have exhausted all our options for those remaining.

“In total, our outreach workers have engaged with 29 individuals on the Cliffs, 19 of which have moved on, with 15 of those either successfully accommodated, reconnected with their local area, or are continuing to engage with homeless support services locally and work towards a long term solution to their homelessness.

“We understand that 10 people still remain. This indicates that despite our best efforts, people are joining those that are still camping in the area.”

Outreach workers from St Mungos Broadway have regularly visited each of the campers on behalf of the Council to assess their housing and support needs and worked closely with local organisations including Harp, Family Mosaic, Stars, Probation, and Sept to provide support and accommodation, either within Southend or outside the Borough in the cases of those who have travelled to the area.