Essex Police enforce dispersal order in Southend

Southend-on-Sea where a dispersal order was brought in by Essex Police

Essex Police enforced a dispersal order in Southend-on-Sea after trouble on the seafront at the weekend.

The move was taken after "a minor disturbance" by a small group of people, the force said.

The order ran from 17:00 BST on Sunday until 01:00 on Monday.

Police made the move after reports of people drinking "too much" alcohol and refusing to leave the Marine Parade area and seafront.

The force said the action was to prevent crime and stop people from being harassed, alarmed or distressed.

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Insp Dave Gardiner said there had been a a few people "intent on spoiling the family-friendly atmosphere" .

"We will use it to tackle poor behaviour and keep the residents, visitors and businesses safe, " he said.

A dispersal order gives officers powers to move anyone believed to be behaving anti-socially from a defined area.

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