The official summer season at Camber Sands ran from Monday 31st March to Sunday 28th September.
As always, visitor numbers were closely tied to weather conditions. The 2025 season featured four heatwaves between June and August, resulting in spikes in visitor numbers. Behind the scenes, staffing levels were carefully adjusted to meet these demands, ensuring adequate coverage during the busiest periods.
This year, summer seemed to arrive early, with two heatwaves in June before schools had broken up. During term time, weekday visitor numbers remained manageable, but weekends brought the familiar challenge of arranging peak-season staffing levels ahead of schedule.
Both June and July delivered consistently above-average temperatures, with June recorded as England’s warmest on record. August, by contrast, proved unpredictable – bringing the sixth named storm of the year, a heatwave, thunderstorms, and even drought conditions!
On the staffing front, the Camber team welcomed several new recruits. All vacant Coastal Officer positions were filled ahead of the season, and new officers were quickly integrated into what is often a fast-paced and high-pressure environment.
The seasonal Beach Patrol team once again played a vital role – reuniting missing children, conducting inspections, and providing advice to visitors. The team included a good mix of returning and new members. Meanwhile, the car park team remained stable with no new starters this year, and the introduction of a Camber-specific car park enforcement role proved highly effective.
Operation Radcott once again demonstrated the value of partnership working. Agencies including Sussex Police, RNLI Lifeguards, South East Coast Ambulance Service, and HM Coastguard all supported the coastal team throughout the season. Their collaboration and commitment were invaluable, and we extend our sincere thanks for their continued assistance.
After a series of unforeseen delays, the new Central Car Park toilets finally opened to the public on 2nd October. These delays created operational challenges, requiring creative solutions to maintain service delivery throughout the season. Temporary toilets were hired as an interim measure; while not ideal, they served their purpose. Although challenging at times, the associated reduction in car park capacity was manageable, and the team was able to limit the impact on day-to-day operations.
The new toilets represent a considerable improvement, offering a significant increase in capacity to help reduce queues on busy days. Looking ahead, the southern end of the new building will soon be brought into use, with a tenanted ground floor space and a new Coastal Operations Centre with hireable facilities on the first floor.
Temporary signage is currently in place on the east face of the building and will soon be replaced with permanent signs. These will highlight some key aims, educating visitors on the environmental importance of Camber and promoting beach and water safety. The team is delighted to see the project completed and looks forward to fully utilising the new facilities in full for the 2026 season.
