Fine warning for taking seashells and pebbles from beaches
However, beachgoers are being warned they could be breaking the law without even realising it, and fines may be on the way.
Under the Coastal Protection Act 1949, the removal of any natural material such as shells, sand and pebbles from public beaches in the UK is illegal.
Previously, a tourist who had holidayed near Crackington Haven beach, Cornwall was forced to drive hundreds of miles back to the popular holiday spot in order to return some pebbles he had taken from the beach.
Removing pebbles and other natural matter from the coast is in fact damaging to the environment. (Image: Getty/Spooh)
Additionally, in 2018, the Metro reported on a group of thieves who were described by the paper as 'grain gangs'.
They would use JCB diggers to take large quantities of sand from Hemsby beach in Norfolk, in order to sell it on to builders.
Meanwhile over in Devon, council gardeners were forced to microchip public plants after suffering a 'severe' amount of thefts in the area.
Andrew Ward, ecological consultant at ecology and biodiversity consultancy firm Arbtech, told the BBC: 'What may seem like a harmless holiday keepsake is, in fact, part of a delicate and vital ecosystem—and could even cost you a fine of up to £1,000.
'One person taking a pebble may not seem like much, but when thousands of people do the same thing every summer, the consequences add up.
'The law isn't there to spoil anyone's fun—it's a reminder that we all have a role to play in protecting our environment.
'By leaving the beach just as we found it, we help ensure it remains a thriving habitat for generations to come.'
Bans on seemingly harmless acts can be enforced by local councils, and can see offenders fined up to £1,000 as a penalty.
Yet while it may seem perfectly harmless, removing pebbles and other natural matter from the coast is in fact damaging to the environment.
As suggested by the name of the Act, and as stated in the introduction of the Act, taking natural material from a beach in the UK is illegal, in order to protect Britain's beaches 'against erosion and encroachment by the sea'.
Pebbles and other natural matter act as a natural sea defence against coastal erosion, which many experts warn has become even more of an issue due to climate change.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
4 hours ago
- Metro
Coronation Street confirms new woman by Gary's side as the truth is revealed
Worries have been mounting for Gary Windass (Mikey North) as he's been absent from Coronation Street for a while – and Maria (Samia Longchambon) has hardly heard from him. Gary went off in a bit of a strop after he and Maria argued over Lou Michaelis (Farrel Hegarty). When Lou's husband Mick (Joe Layton) was arrested for the murder of Craig Tinker (Colson Smith), Gary was one of the few people who had any time for Lou. This infuriated Maria, especially after she'd had a few run-ins with Lou herself. At one point she thought Lou had had her arrested after an accident at the Platts' barbecue, and she generally thought of Lou as a troublemaker and someone who had designs on Gary. She wasn't far wrong on that score, as we saw Lou try to kiss Gary. He rejected her advances, but scheming Lou also sent herself a text from Gary's phone that would look like clear evidence they were having an affair – though so far Maria hasn't seen this. She'd seen enough, however, to be seriously annoyed. Gary decided it would be sensible to go away and visit his mum for a while and let things cool down. In his absence Maria has been checking her phone constantly, worrying that she's pushed Gary too far with her jealousy. In upcoming episodes it's Liam (Charlie Wrenshall)'s birthday, and there's still no word from Gary. This is obviously unsettling, as even if he has the sulks with Maria he surely wouldn't forget Liam's big day. The reason for his continued silence was revealed – he's in hospital in a coma, and things are not looking good. Maria decides to report Gary as a missing person and heads to the police station. Kit (Jacob Roberts)and Lisa (Vicky Myers) hear about an unidentified coma patient at the hospital, and wonder if it could be Gary. Meanwhile, when Nina (Mollie Gallagher) and Summer (Harriet Bibby) hear that Gary is missing and hasn't made any bank transactions since June 23, they begin to worry that it could have been him they saw on the night of the party when they were high on drugs. More Trending At the hospital, Gary has a visitor – a mystery woman who is keeping vigil at his bedside. Even more mysteriously, she's told the hospital staff that the injured man is called Chesney. Want to be the first to hear shocking EastEnders spoilers? Who's leaving Coronation Street? The latest gossip from Emmerdale? Join 10,000 soaps fans on Metro's WhatsApp Soaps community and get access to spoiler galleries, must-watch videos, and exclusive interviews. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications so you can see when we've just dropped the latest spoilers! This means that when Kit contacts the hospital about whether the missing man could be Gary, he's told it isn't him. He tells Maria and reassures her that the police will do all they can to find out where Gary is. But in the meantime, who is the mystery woman and why is she claiming that Gary is called Chesney? View More » As Gary's life hangs in the balance, a series of flashbacks take us to the night he vanished – and we discover an attacker desperate to cover their tracks. MORE: Coronation Street star reacts to what happened to Gary Windass and addresses attack culprit MORE: Coronation Street 'confirms' who left Gary Windass for dead in early ITVX release MORE: Coronation Street reveals major Gary Windass story as attack is confirmed
Metro
4 hours ago
- Metro
The end ‘confirmed' for Joe in Emmerdale as nemesis comes out of the shadows
An unexpected figure looms up in Emmerdale soon as Joe Tate (Ned Porteous)'s blackmail storyline reaches crunch point – and Joe finds himself in some very deep trouble. Just as Joe was recovering from his surgery after stealing Caleb Miligan (William Ash)'s kidney, and was looking forward to a more settled future with Dawn (Olivia Bromley) and the kids and building a business empire with Kim Tate (Claire King), his car was keyed and he started getting blackmailing letters. The kind of note that's made from cut-up bits of newspaper started appearing mysteriously around Home Farm bearing ominous messages. And having made enemies of almost everyone in the village thanks to the kidney stealing and his actions leading to the deaths of three women in the limo crash, there were plenty of suspects. 'I think there's enough people in the village who have it in for Joe, who could warrant a reason to be blackmailing him,' Ned Porteous told us. Soon the messages become demands for money – an eye-wateringly large sum, though Ned said that the cash wasn't the most worrying aspect for his character. 'It's less the money, more the idea that someone had got into the house because that's the feeling you've lost your safe bubble when someone breaks in to your kitchen and left the note. That's the home of the people that you really care about. He's more worried about the fact that his girl and her kids are going to be in danger.' It's Joe who's in immediate danger when he gets into a dispute with his henchman, Shaun (James Boyland), who then turns on him threateningly. Joe is saved on that occasion by unlikely hero Sam Dingle (James Hooton). But when Sam's not around, Shaun strikes again and hits Joe with a shovel, knocking him out cold. And when he wakes up, he has a terrible realisation. He's in a makeshift hospital room with rogue surgeon Crowley (James Hillier) looming over him. 'He's very confused and very scared and not sure where he is. Getting knocked out by surprise is, I'm sure, not very fun and then waking up somewhere with this guy… it's a very powerless situation for Joe to be in, which he's not a fan of.' Want to be the first to hear shocking EastEnders spoilers? Who's leaving Coronation Street? The latest gossip from Emmerdale? Join 10,000 soaps fans on Metro's WhatsApp Soaps community and get access to spoiler galleries, must-watch videos, and exclusive interviews. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications so you can see when we've just dropped the latest spoilers! Obviously this is a massive understatement as Joe is totally at the mercy of Crowley, who was the man Joe employed to illegally remove Caleb's kidney and transplant it into Joe. More Trending So we know that he's not even on nodding terms with the Hippocratic oath and will do just about anything for money. But what, specifically, does he have in mind for Joe? Is he taking his own revenge? Is he working for someone else? View More » And is it the final curtain for Joe Tate? MORE: Emmerdale confirms mystery new romance for Kim MORE: Emmerdale fans 'work out' who keyed Joe Tate's car – and it wasn't Billy MORE: Emmerdale's Joe Tate strikes again as much-loved character is in serious danger
Metro
4 hours ago
- Metro
Coronation Street confirms turbulent scenes for Lisa in unexpected therapy shock
Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers) has been struggling recently in Coronation Street. The police officer was deeply affected by the tragic death of colleague and friend Craig Tinker (Colson Smith), and it was clear that his death brought up some difficult emotions from her past. Lisa's wife Becky, who was also a police officer, was killed in the line of duty as Craig was. She had been chasing a suspect who jumped into a getaway car and mowed Becky down. She died at the scene. Following Craig's death, we learned more about what happened to Becky, as Lisa opened up to her new partner, Carla Connor (Alison King). She explained that, before her death, Becky was being investigated by the anti-corruption unit. The stress of being under investigation had taken its toll on their relationship and they'd argued on the day Becky was killed, meaning that Lisa has to live with the knowledge that she and her wife were on bad terms on that day and she'll never have a chance to make things right. Although the investigation was dropped, Becky didn't get the funeral that she deserved as the cloud of the investigation was still hanging over her. The whole issue obviously affects Lisa and Becky's daughter Betsy (Sydney Martin) as well. After going through some of Lisa's papers, Betsy became determined to find out the truth about what happened to her mum and even visited Logan Radcliffe (Harry Lowbridge) in prison. It's known that Logan and his brother Matty (Seamus McGoff) were involved in Becky's death. Betsy didn't get the answers she was hoping for as Logan wasted her time with a made-up story. Want to be the first to hear shocking EastEnders spoilers? Who's leaving Coronation Street? The latest gossip from Emmerdale? Join 10,000 soaps fans on Metro's WhatsApp Soaps community and get access to spoiler galleries, must-watch videos, and exclusive interviews. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications so you can see when we've just dropped the latest spoilers! For Lisa, the emotional fallout of what happened to Becky is making it difficult for her to move on with her life, although she has found love again with Carla. More Trending And it's Carla who, in upcoming episodes, tries to convince Lisa that she might find therapy helpful in dealing with what's happened. Lisa isn't convinced, but agrees to give it a try. At her first therapy session, however, she's totally thrown when the therapist steers the conversation to Becky and it's clear Lisa's feeling very upset and defensive. View More » What is it about Becky's death that she isn't ready to face? MORE: Major Coronation Street exit confirmed as star leaves after 2 years MORE: Carla proud in early ITVX Coronation Street release as Lisa takes a huge step MORE: Unexpected Lisa and Kit twist in early Coronation Street ITVX streaming release
