Taking a pebble or two from the beach might seem harmless, but it could land you in trouble.
A warning has been issued to beachgoers that removing natural materials like sand and stones from beaches is illegal under the Coastal Protection Act 1949.
A tourist holidaying near Crackington Haven in Cornwall was once ordered to drive hundreds of miles to return pebbles taken from the beach.
And in 2018, the Metro reported on organised sand thefts, with JCB diggers used to extract large quantities from Hemsby beach in Norfolk for resale to builders.
Similar issues have been seen elsewhere.
In Devon, repeated thefts forced council gardeners to begin microchipping public plants.
The public is reminded that removing natural materials from beaches is against the law.
Why is it illegal?
Bans on seemingly harmless acts like this 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.
