Broadstairs, Margate, Ramsgate and Whitstable all fall under temporary police powers as warm weather draws crowds to the East Kent coast.
Orders in Place from Friday Afternoon
Kent Police imposed dispersal orders across four East Kent coastal towns on Friday, giving officers enhanced powers to move people on and make arrests as the heat brought large crowds to the seafront. The orders covered Broadstairs, Margate and Ramsgate — all within the Thanet district — as well as a separate order for Whitstable, further along the coast in Canterbury district.
The Thanet orders came into force at 14:00 BST on Friday and were due to run for 48 hours. Whitstable’s followed two hours later, at 16:00 BST. Also 48 hours.
What Officers Can Actually Do
Under these powers — drawn from sections 34 to 39 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 — officers can direct individuals or groups to leave a designated area if they’re causing, or are likely to cause, anti-social behaviour or disorder. Anyone told to leave who refuses, or who returns after being dispersed, can be arrested. Officers can also seize items linked to nuisance, including music speakers and, in some related operations, vehicles.
That last point is worth noting. These aren’t just symbolic gestures. According to Kent Police, several arrests were made and multiple gatherings were dispersed during recent dispersal operations in Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs — indicating that officers have been using these powers actively, not just keeping them in their back pocket.
Why Now, and Why These Towns
Anyone who’s spent 40 minutes crawling round Broadstairs looking for a parking space on a hot Saturday will grasp the pressure these towns are under. The Thanet district alone has a resident population of over 140,000 — and that number climbs sharply when the day-trippers pile in. Seafronts and town centres can tip from merely heaving to genuinely chaotic in short order, and police say they’d rather get ahead of disorder than spend the evening mopping it up.
Superintendent Pete Steenhuis, of Kent Police, said: “These are fantastic places to enjoy the warm, sunny weather. Most people socialise respectfully and responsibly. Those who cause disruption should expect a swift and firm response from officers.”
Fairly straightforward, that.
A Pattern Across the Summer
This isn’t a one-off. Earlier in the summer, dispersal orders were extended across parts of Margate, Broadstairs, Ramsgate and Westwood Cross after reported trouble during previous hot spells. In Minster-on-Sea, a separate order followed weeks of complaints about motorbikes and vehicles being driven unlawfully on pavements and green spaces. And the picture across East Kent is becoming a familiar one — police reaching for dispersal powers as a first response whenever warm weather and crowds collide.
Whether that reflects a genuine rise in disorder, a more proactive policing posture, or simply both, is a question residents and local councils may want to sit with as the summer wears on.
—
Key Takeaways
- Dispersal orders covering Broadstairs, Margate, Ramsgate and Whitstable came into force on Friday afternoon and were due to last up to 48 hours each.
- Officers had the power to direct people to leave designated areas, arrest those who refused or returned, and seize items such as music speakers linked to nuisance behaviour.
- Kent Police said the orders were targeted and temporary, aimed at maintaining a safe environment during a busy warm-weather weekend, with most visitors expected to be unaffected.
What This Means for Kent Residents
If you were heading to any of these four towns this weekend, the practical reality was simple — behave as you normally would and you were unlikely to have any bother. For residents near the seafronts and town centres, it meant a more visible police presence and faster intervention if rowdy groups or loud gatherings kicked off. But some residents may reasonably ask whether repeated short-term dispersal orders are standing in for something more sustained — proper investment in community safety, youth services, local engagement. For the duration of the orders, officers were ready to use them.