The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word TOWNSMEN
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
T
O
W
N
S
M
E
N
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "people from Clacton?" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case people from clacton? = townsmen.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does TOWNSMEN mean?
TOWNSMEN noun- A man who is a resident of a town, especially of one's own town.