A councillor has spoken out about the issue of underage drinking after a group of young people had an array of alcohol seized from them on a beach.

A photo circulated by Kent Police's special constables shows a wide array of alcohol - including what appear to be bottles of vodka and cans of cider and beer - that was seized by officers on Whitstable beach.

More than a dozen special constables were out assisting regular officers across Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable on Saturday evening, when they confiscated the alcohol from a group of young people on the beach.

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Special Chief Inspector Ken Goddard said: "Whilst this particular group was not causing a nuisance, we know how underage drinking can lead to anti-social behaviour, which is upsetting for residents.

"Kent Police takes a zero tolerance approach to underage drinking."

He explained that during patrols on Saturday, constables also visited off-licences to make sure staff are asking for proof of age before selling alcohol - and are enforcing the Challenge 25 policy, which encourages them to ask for ID if customers look younger than 25.

"Parents can also play their part by talking to their children about the dangers of drinking and what is acceptable behaviour and what is not," he added.

Chris Cornell - a newly elected Labour councillor for Gorrell Ward - described underage drinking on the beach as a "perennial problem".

He said: "For as long as I've lived here, it has been a problem in particular in areas that are out of sight and where there is little police presence, particularly West Beach."

He said the council should be "cautious" about giving licences to more seafront venues.

"We're a town which can always use the beach to sit on and have a drink," he said.

"But we should be cautious about opening new licensing areas on the seafront."

He added that the problem could be helped by providing more activities for the town's young people.

"There's very little provision in the town," he said.

"I remember being part of the campaign to save the youth centre a while back. It still exists, but funds are so restricted these days it is limited in what it can offer.

"If we had more activites, it would give young people something else to do in the town - even for those who do want to get into Canterbury to do an activity, it is so expensive to get there it can be tricky.

"Any kind of activities we can provide are likely to have a positive impact for young people."

Read more: All the latest news from Whitstable