Beach maintenance work in Deal has been put on hold after a resident complained about the arrival of diggers.

Dover District Council announced last month that its £800k beach maintenance works would commence at the end of August or beginning of September.

But yesterday, the first digger arrived on the shore with fencing also installed, causing disruption to beach goers.

A nearby resident, who asked not to be named, blasted the move as "outrageous", questioning the council's decision to begin work during the high season and the country's current heatwave.

In his five years of living on the seafront, he claimed he has never seen the beach "so packed" with families and accused the authority of turning the attraction into a building site.

He said: "The people and businesses of Deal are so reliant on holiday makers and they've risked destroying it. Would you come to Deal as a holiday maker if you knew the beach was going to be a building site?"

A DDC spokesman has since confirmed the works on this part of the beach have been called off.

A statement said: "We apologise for the confusion in this matter, we were not aware that works were starting early and we have requested that works stop immediately.

"We have suspended works on Deal Beach, which will resume at a later date.

"Beach recycling at Wellington Parade is expected to commence from Monday, August 17.

"This is because work to protect homes at Wellington Parade needs to begin to ensure we can complete it before the autumn weather and high tides set in.

"The rock groyne installation at Sandown Castle will go ahead as originally planned at the end of August."

The £831,000 scheme is part of the five-year Oldstairs Bay to Sandwich Bay Estate Beach Management Works, for which Dover District Council secured £1.5 million of funding from the Environment Agency.

It includes a new rock groyne at Sandown Castle and three rock groynes along Wellington Parade in Walmer.

There will also be beach recycling, transporting shingle from north of Sandown Castle back to the Deal frontage - lasting six weeks.

Attention will also be given to Kingsdown with more shingle recycling from around Walmer Castle to Kingsdown and Wellington Parade. This work is scheduled to be complete by Christmas.

Read more: All the latest news from Deal