Locals 'disgusted' after thousands flock to Sydney beach on Christmas Day

A carpet of rubbish was left behind at Sydney's Bronte Beach after an estimated 10,000 people packed the shores for their Christmas Day celebrations.

Revellers dressed in red bathing suits and Santa hats packed the beach yesterday to enjoy the holiday in the sun, with not a space at the park in sight.

After night fell and Boxing Day arrived, residents awoke to a shocking scene.

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Masses of drinks, food wrappers, rugs, chairs and plastic were littered across one of the city's most famous beaches.

Footage of the rubbish captured how widespread the damage was, with residents taking to social media to lash the "disgusting" behaviour of partygoers.

"So disgusting and disrespectful, very sad," one user said.

"It's not hard to put your rubbish in the bin," another wrote.

"So so upset seeing a scene like this," a third said.

The Waverley Council said its teams were forced to spend the night and this morning cleaning up the "disappointing" mountains of mess left behind.

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Local Mayor Paula Masselos said she was appalled by the beach-goers' actions.

"I am disgusted that they have treated such a beautiful part of the world with such disrespect and contempt," she said.

"There was a lot of alcohol that was confiscated and put into the bins."

Masselos said staff and police had worked all day to manage the situation but unprecedented crowd numbers had proven a challenge.

"We had 10,000 people there which is 10 to 30 per cent more than previous years," she said.

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She added the council had considered making the park a ticketed event and closing the beach for the day but said it would be impossible to implement.

Bronte Beach's Surf Life Saving Club urged residents to be cautious of the litter today after what was a "challenging day" yesterday.

"After a huge day yesterday, Bronte park is a little dirty and there is some broken glass," the club said.

The mayor warned beachgoers that council will be "coming down heavy" for New Years celebrations with a strict alcohol-free policy following the behaviour on Christmas Day.