Visitor rocked by demand to return ‘stolen’ beach pebbles
A HOLIDAYMAKER has been forced to drive hundreds of miles to return pebbles he “stole” from a beach after the local council threatened him with prosecution.
The incident occurred in Crackington Haven, Cornwall, where beach pebble theft has become so common that the parish council was forced to put up several signs warning it is illegal.
The case emerged after visitors complained that they were being “aggressively” threatened with prosecution for taking stones home from the beauty spot.
Removing stones from public beaches is illegal under the Coast Protection Act 1949. St Gennys parish council has warned that culprits could face a fine of up to £1,000 for leaving the area exposed to erosion.
Barry Jordan, the parish clerk, said: “Those who saw the damage of the floods a few years ago know what water can do. Take away the pebbles and the haven would be damaged during every storm.”
However, critics have claimed the signs – which were installed in late July – are heavy handed and spoil the beach.
In one case, the council traced a holidaymaker back to his home hundreds of miles away and threatened him with prosecution, resulting in the man driving a carrier bag of stones all the way back to the beach, Mr Jordan said.
The council removed two of the four warning signs yesterday because of the backlash. Jen Dixon, a local artist, described the decision to erect signs as “a shame,” adding: “We must have such a problem with stone theft that the beach is now littered with large red and yellow signs threatening prosecution.
“They are so darn ugly on our beautiful beach. It seems very heavyhanded to have so many signs.”
Crackington Haven’s approach comes three years after a local council was forced to microchip flowers and shrubs to stop people stealing them from public parks.
Devon district council said it experienced such “severe” theft of public plants that council gardeners microchipped them as a deterrent.
But Jackie Carpenter, who lives near Crackington Haven beach, said the signs “ruin the ‘beautiful place’ view”. She added: “They also provide a horrible ‘police-state’ sort of environment.”
Lisa Ward, who also lives in the area, said: “I have overheard visitors walking onto the beach commenting on how aggressive they look.”
Cornwall Council, which owns 57 of the county’s beaches, said it “strongly urged visitors not to remove stones or sand” from them.
A spokesman said: “It may seem harmless but given the many thousands of visitors to Cornwall’s beaches every year, every stone removed could have an impact on coastal erosion, natural flood defences and wildlife habitats”.
This is not the first time a local council has resorted to threatening prosecution
‘It may seem harmless but ... every stone removed could have an impact on coastal erosion, natural flood defences and wildlife habitats’
after pebbles were stolen from a beach. In 2013, a 39-year-old woman was investigated by Suffolk Coastal District Council after a “relatively significant” quantity of pebbles, believed to be about six sackloads, was taken from a local beach.
The woman was tracked down by council officers using the car’s registration number and they told her that taking shingle from the beach was illegal.
Commenting at the time, Paul Patterson, senior coastal engineer for Suffolk coastal and Waveney district council’s coastal management team, said: “The removal of pebbles, shingle or sand from Suffolk’s beaches is unacceptable because it may contribute to erosion of the shoreline or increase the risk of flooding.”