Footage of the Southend's Kursaal, pier and seafront which has not been seen for decades will be showcased on TV tonight.

Michael Collins, 44, of Selwyn Road, Southend, discovered more than 60 old films while clearing a house in Arnold Avenue.

His films will form part of a BBC programme Inside Out which looks at the development of the town and draws from memories of local characters, including former Echo editor, Jim Worsdale.

Mr Collins said: "Some of the footage shows the Kursaal with rollercoasters and the Wall of Death."

It's believed many of the films were shot by C J Morehouse, who once ran the Kursaal Empire, so a lot of the footage features the seafront attraction. Most of the films were shot between the late 1940s and the early 1960s and C J Morehouse has also captured one of the highlights of the Southend year - the carnival in 1961.

Mr Collins said: "I would really like a historical society to buy the films so they can be kept somewhere safe for the future."

Some of the historic footage features Southend United playing an FA Cup tie in Blackpool in the 1950s, with the Shrimpers taking on the talents of Stanley Matthews.

The Inside Out programme will be broadcast at 7.30pm on BBC1.