A group of locals took matters into their own hands and cleared up a 'shanty town' encampment in the middle of a seaside beauty spot themselves, after they said authorities failed to act. Twelve members of a group named Protect Our Postcode spent an hour cleaning the camp above Bournemouth beach in Dorset, accusing the council and police of doing 'nothing' about the eyesore. The illegal encampment situated on the cliffside consisted of an old tent, a picnic table, a barbecue, bedding, a three-seater sofa, two armchairs, and a generator. Masses of rubbish, including dozens of empty beer cans and drug paraphernalia, were also removed and filled an entire transit van. While some people claimed homeless people had been staying there, others argued it was connected to a nearby hotel housing asylum seekers. The group is made up of local tradesmen. A local group named Protect Our Postcode undertook a cleanup operation after saying the authorities 'did nothing' The group, which is made up of some local tradesman, had the backing of Nigel Farage The encampment is situated on a cliffside above Bournemouth beach in Dorset Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage was also accused of spreading misinformation about the camp by reposting the video and stating that 'illegals' had taken it over. It marks the third summer in a row that the encampment was set up in a clearing above Bournemouth beach in Dorset.Last week, a video emerged online of a man who said he was from Gambia and had been staying at the camp after being kicked out of the Britannia Hotel.The camp was directly above a row of sought-after beach huts worth £35,000 and could be seen by thousands of people using the beach.Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council (BCP Council) had installed a 6ft wire fence to stop people accessing the clearing, but a section of it had been cut away to create an opening.Frank White, a plumber, said he led the group on the clean-up operation after the council and police 'did nothing'.He said: 'Our town relies heavily on tourism and this camp deters people from coming here and spending their hard-earned money, which our local economy needs. 'Nobody wants to see something like this when they are down the beach. It's an eyesore. The first encampment on the cliffs appeared late in 2024 Bournemouth beach (pictured) is a popular tourist hotspot, but it has been the centre of many rows over immigration in recent months 'The local council and the police have known about this camp for the past two-to-three years and have done nothing. 'We understand that homeless people need a place to live, however they do not get to choose a prime seafront location with a beautiful view. 'Local residents know that this camp is there and it frightens them and stops them from using the zig-zag path to get to and from the beach.'It took us about an hour to clear it all away, and there was so much it filled a whole van.' Mr White explained that one member of the group holds a waste carrier licence to properly dispose of the rubbish.BCP Council condemned the clear-up operation and said they were waiting to remove it 'as soon as it was safe to do so'. But Jo Keeling, a former police officer turned community campaigner, also accused the council of failing to act.She said: 'Illegal encampments have no place on Bournemouth's cliffs. 'They damage the environment, blight one of our greatest assets and should be dealt with swiftly.'We cannot allow illegal encampments to become an accepted part of Bournemouth every summer. It should have been removed immediately.'If people are camping in a location that poses a danger to life, the council should act quickly and send a clear message that this won't be tolerated.'The BCP Council has a strict policy on fly camping in the seafront area. Overnight camping is banned because it competes with local hotels and guest houses. Mike Cox, deputy leader of the Lib Dem-led BCP Council, said: 'We were in the process of clearing this complex and dangerous site and needed to make sure our teams could work safely.'The cliffs are unpredictable. Landslips and wildfires could happen at any time and anyone trespassing in this area puts themselves at huge risk.'We ask the public not to take matters into their own hands.'We are assessing the location for damage and to determine any action needed to make the cliffs safe.'We continue to review the measures we have in place to prevent access to dangerous locations and are looking at how we can respond more swiftly and effectively to similar issues in the future.'