Litter, bottles on Lugs beach

THIS week we begin our monitoring of Durban beaches to keep you updated on what to expect during the festive season.

The Blue Lagoon beach, a popular spot for a family picnic, braai or year-end function, was first on the list.

None of the outdoor showers worked and the area was strewn with litter, including plastics and bottles.

Beachgoer John Marcus said he visited Blue Lagoon frequently and the showers had not been working for a long time. He added that the municipality was aware of it.

“If you go along the promenade most of these showers are faulty and it’s not clear when they will be fixed.

“I was hoping the city would fix or change them.

“We need bins on the beach as well. In that way people can throw their litter in them instead of on the beach, as they currently do,” he said.

We found the toilets to be clean, however, with no hand sanitisers and toilet paper. Toilet attendants were also visible at each block.

Commenting on the litter problem, the head of parks and recreation, Thembinkosi Ngcobo, said it was probably caused by the influx of people visiting the beach over the weekend.

He promised that the city had plans to keep the beaches clean and safe during the holiday period.

“People have already started to come in numbers and we have increased the number of workers by 260 along the promenade to ensure the beaches are always clean.

“We will also place mobile toilets at some of the beaches as we are expecting close to a million visitors during the festive season.”