RESIDENTS are protesting about the “daylight robbery” of their local beach.
They say sand is being stripped from Hayle beach in Cornwall and sold on for profit.
Hayle resident Sophie Daniels has launched a petition on Change.org pleading for the sand removal to cease immediately.
So far it has raised more than 1,000 signatures out of a target of 1,500 in a matter of days.
Sophie says the once tranquil beach has seen tonnes of sand removed “day and night, sold for profit with no thought of the environmental repercussions”.
“Authorities justify the mining, claiming it is necessary for keeping the channel clear for fishermen,” she said.
“But the reality is clearly different. Excavation is taking place on the beach, far from the central channel they declare to keep clear.”
In her petition statement she said: “My roots are deeply ingrained in this beautiful place we call Hayle beach.
“I grew up here and witnessed the rich bio-diversity of our local ecosystem.
“This is an important area not just for me but for the entire community of Cornwall.
“The ill effects of this relentless mining are evident. Night-time operations disrupt peace, and the incessant excavation poses a risk to our children’s safety on the beach.
“Furthermore, it’s a serious threat to the delicate ecosystem and local wildlife that call this beach home.
“The often cited study in the Journal of Coastal Research has consistently shown that sand mining impacts coastal and marine biodiversity and flood defences.
“Hayle Beach, a gem of Cornwall and voted Best Beach in the UK by The Times, deserves to be protected and nurtured, not exploited.
“Our plea is simple: cease the sand mining immediately. This isn’t merely about preserving our beach for recreational purposes. It’s about safe-guarding our ecosystem, our local community, and our future.”
One petition supporter, Brian Mitchell, said: “The plundering of this special beach should be classed as vandalism.
“The sand has been sold off seemingly with the approval of the very people that should be protecting it!! Sickening!!”
Emily Brown said: “I have had enough of watching our land and seas tampered with the point of a mass decline of wildlife in an area that should be protected and a safe haven.
“We are losing so much to greed and this needs to change now,not in 10, 20 or 50 years.NOW !”
Hayle harbourmaster Peter Haddock said the “dredging” was a legal requirement to keep the channel into the harbour clear.
He said the sand was being removed for the safety of navigation, adding it is “not being removed just for profit”.
“We have to maintain the harbour. We have a legal responsibility to maintain a navigational channel, it’s our responsibility under the Hayle Harbour Act.”
He said they had to extract further from the channel as there was ‘a big lump of sand’ that extended out into the navigation route, forcing vessels close to rocks.
“That sand has moved to such an extent that the navigation channel had moved 15 metres in from the edge of the estuary.”
He said people “tended to forget that that part of the estuary is actually private, although they turned a blind eye to people swimming there”.
The Sun has approached Hayle Town Council and Cornwall Council for comment.
