Lakeshore council has made the difficult decision to close West Belle River Beach effective immediately amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Council voted unanimously in favour of the closure during a special virtual council meeting on Monday evening.
Deputy Mayor Tracey Bailey says the closure comes after the town received a number of complaints about overcrowding along with parking issues, smoking and alcohol. She says tickets were written but it's very hard to manage.
"We did try and have mitigation measures so we brought in additional policing, we brought in additional bylaw but it's just not enough," she says. "The crowds and population that are there require more from us than we can provide."
Bailey says councillors did hear from residents.
"We have received numerous phone calls but very hard decision to make. We have the economy that needs to bounce back from this, we have businesses that certainly can benefit from the increased traffic that is happening in our town."
As heard on AM800 news earlier this month, Essex council voted in favour of closing Colchester Beach after complaints about illegal drinking, littering and overcrowding.
According to Bailey, West Belle River Beach was the last beach in the region that was open.