An Essex, Ont. councillor is asking residents to respect the rules at Colchester Beach.
On Friday Ward 4 Councillor Sherry Bondy received numerous complaints about illegal drinking, fighting, littering and overcrowding at the beach. The beach and adjacent park are in Ward 3, but Bondy says residents reached out to her because she grew up nearby.
She tells AM800 News visitors need to respect the beach and practice social-distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"If you go there with friends, stay in your social circle and please pick up after yourself. There were a ton of pictures on social media with the amount of trash down there and nobody likes to see that," Bondy added. "Everybody in our region wants to move to Phase Two so we need to help each other get there and social distancing is key right now."
Bondy is asking visitors not to force the closure of the beach.
"It would be nice to keep the beach open, but we still have to follow the regulations during this time," she says. "There are a lot of concerned residents out there that saw drinking on the beach ... just be polite, respectful and hopefully we can continue to enjoy our beach and facilities."
She tells AM800 News OPP have been notified and are monitoring the area, but if issues persist, council could look at closing the beach.