Leisure chiefs at Southend Council have been urged to think carefully before banning anglers from Priory Park.

Last month councillors put anglers using the park's lake on probation, following threatening behaviour to park attendants.

Some anglers had even resorted to smashing birds' eggs and fishing during the closed season.

David Ascroft (Con, Shoebury) said: "While I would never condone the attitude of some anglers to our park attendants, I think perhaps we might have been approaching this in the wrong manner.

"The fact that we are going to use collective punishment to stop something that was being done by a small minority seems a bit harsh."

However, leisure services committee chairman, David Elf (Lib Dem, Prittlewell) disagreed: "We have given them a warning. We will get a report back in September and depending what the report says and what the members decide, we will see what happens."

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