A worried father today spoke out about the "hidden dangers" on Canvey beach after his foot was ripped open on a rusty metal spike.

Stephen Barns, 36, was playing on the beach with his children when he felt a sharp pain in his heel.

He looked down and to his horror, he saw a rusty iron girder poking out of the sand.

Mr Barns was forced to go to hospital for a tetanus jab and is still unable to stand properly.

However, Castle Point Council today insisted it acted swiftly when told of the problem and does everything it can to keep the beach clean and safe.

The father-of-four, from The Cherries, Canvey, said: "I was just chasing the kids along the beach when I felt a pain in my foot. My foot is still bruised and cut at the heel and I have not been able to work for a few days.

"The girder needs to be pulled up. Fortunately it was me who trod on it. It could have been one of my children who were running ahead of me."

His wife, Debra, 35, added: "The whole beach is just a mess, with broken bottles and litter everywhere. The iron girder was just poking out of the sand, waiting for someone to tread on it.

"Next time it could be a child who will be a lot less resilient than Stephen. It was such a hot weekend and there's more good weather on the way. It's only a matter of time before the same thing happens again."

She added: "A couple of friends went to the beach and tried to pull out the iron girder but it was stuck fast. It was embedded down there, so instead we put some rocks around it to warn others."

"The council is supposed to be promoting Canvey for tourists. We certainly will not be attracting them to the beach in its current state. The council should do something about the mess. It's a disgrace.

"I will not be going down there again until something is done."

Castle Point Council immediately contacted the Environment Agency and sent one of its own inspectors to look at the girder.

David McNeill, deputy leisure director, said: "There may have been some confusion as our inspector found a different piece of metal. The matter is in hand and we will be examining both sites where metal has been sighted." He also assured the public that the beach is cleaned daily.

Mr McNeill said: "The beach is cleaned and swept every day. Any litter or dog muck after that time is down to the people who use the beach. We provide people to pick up the litter, which is put there by the public."

He added: "Before the sea wall was constructed, there were various constructions there which have eroded. We have worked with the Environment Agency to remove some bits and pieces but often we do not know they are there until something happens."

Canvey beach where Mr Barns found the vicious old iron spike in the sand

Picture: ROBIN WOOSEY

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