Beach vigilante in war against pebble thieves

YOU might think taking a pretty pebble home with you after a day at the beach seems harmless.

But one seaside vigilante has put up a warning to visitors telling them that it is a crime. The unofficial sign appeared at Amroth in Pembrokeshire, telling people they could be fined up to £1,000 for swiping stones.

The unsigned, laminated poster reads: ‘The stones on this beach are part of Amroth’s vital sea defences. Removal is a criminal offence. Offenders are liable to prosecution.’

Taking away pebbles or sand is a crime under the Coastal Protection Act 1949, which states that offenders face the fine for leaving areas exposed to erosion.

Last year a holidaymaker drove hundreds of miles to return a bag of pebbles he had stolen from a beach near Bude in Cornwall after being threatened with prosecution by the council.

Locals in south-east Wales have mixed reactions to the sign appearing on the beach. One, Ben Williams, said it was difficult to stop visitors taking stones.

‘When your three-year- old little girl wants to keep a pretty little pebble she found I can’t say no,’ he said. ‘It’s not what people take off the beaches that’s the problem, it’s what ends up on the beaches that people throw away.’

A spokesman for Pembrokeshire county council confirmed the poster was not one of theirs, adding: ‘If everyone started taking pebbles from the beach then we would have a problem. But we have no plans to put up any of our own signs at the moment.’