Campaigners are demanding council chiefs rethink their decision to keep beach lifts shut throughout the summer claiming it will stop some parents and disabled people visiting.

Access Thanet, a group pushing for better access around the district, argues there is "no logic" to keeping lifts at Viking Bay in Broadstairs and by Ramsgate beach closed, particularly with the recent easing of restrictions.

But Thanet District Council says keeping them shut is due to national measures in place to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Chairman Helen Kemp, however, claims it defies the principal that the beautiful beaches should be available for all, not just the able bodied.

"This year, after elderly and disabled people have experienced the loneliness and isolation of the lockdown and the opening of beach huts, cafés, bars and hairdressers has been welcomed, the logic for keeping the lifts closed escapes us," she said.

"For many there is no other possible access to the sand or the promenades at sea level.

"Alternatives like Harbour Street or the slope at Louisa Bay have been suggested by officers in the past but they present a real danger to people with mobility difficulties and those with small children in buggies.

"There is no pavement in places and the steepness is a concern."

She says parents with young children struggle with the number of steps at Viking Bay when they have buggies, prams and bags and that some visitors come to Broadstairs specifically for the lift access.

Ms Kemp has suggested to councillors and officers at Thanet council that security staff recently employed at Broadstairs could assist with monitoring lift usage and allowing priority use by those who need it.

She has offered to find volunteers to support the lift opening for a limited number of hours each day.

"Access for people with disabilities in Thanet does not seem to be anyone’s priority despite legislation that should ensure equality of access to leisure facilities," she added.

Mike Bridges, chair of Broadstairs Tourism and Leisure Association, warns it will have an adverse effect on tourism.

"Many elderly and less physically able people visit here because they know there is a lift," he said.

A Thanet council spokesman said: "As per our Beach Management Plan, our seafront lifts at Viking Bay and Ramsgate Main Sands remain closed as a result of the national measures currently in place to slow the spread of coronavirus as the distancing requirements cannot be achieved.

"This will continue to be reviewed in line with government advice."

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