'Tear out disaster seafront lagoon,' council told

A seafront lagoon branded a "disaster" by a councillor could be ripped out after years of problems.

Three Shells Lagoon in Southend-on-Sea had been "flawed from the very start", city councillor Matt Dent told a meeting of the local authority.

It opened at a cost of £1.9m in 2016 to boost tourism in the Essex city, but has faced drainage problems and foul smells.

The Labour-led council said its cabinet would determine the attraction's future in November.

"This lagoon has been a disaster in my view since it was first installed," said Dent, the council's cabinet member for business, culture, music and tourism.

"It's causing a horrible stink and, more recently, forming what I can only describe as quicksand which has meant that we've had to fence the whole thing off."

In March, a mother and daughter had to be rescued with ropes after they got stuck in waist-deep sand at the lagoon.

Philip Miller, owner of the neighbouring Adventure Island, previously called the site "total disgrace".

"It's a blight on the seafront on one of the busiest areas on our seafront, and, in my view, it should never have been installed," Dent told the meeting.

"My preference would be to tear it out completely."

He was asked by Reform UK councillor Oscar Wood if the full cost of every option, including keeping the lagoon, improving safety or removing it, would be shared before a decision was made.

Dent said councillors would have the chance to scrutinise the options at a later date, the Local Democracy Reporting Service wrote.

"We need to, basically, end this disastrous venture as soon as possible and as swiftly as we can," he added.

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