General Discussion

I thought stealing pebbles was illegal, they are deemed a necessary part of natural sea defences. And our coast and rail link need all the help it can get.

Dawlish's coastal defences are at stake.

If you collect pebbles for your garden, I hope you can look yourself in the mirror!

Folk have been taking pebbles from the beach for years in fact as long as i can remember i think there are more important things to worry about.

@Neoliberal Democrat - it would have been worth saving this one for april 1st, bit wasted any other time. why not set up a government training camp, at major expense to the rate/tax payer, to re-educate those stealing pebbles of beaches to steal dog plops left all over the place instead.

May be you should be reported for being a sad person!

@leatash, regardless of what you think is a greater priority it is still illegal.

Or are you suggesting it's okay to break the law?

@ Purrrrfect. No need to get personal. I think it's sad that you have little regard for pro-environmental legislation.

Stealing dog plops left all over the place? Surely it's a case of 'finders keepers'.

Every day is like April Fool's on Dawlish.com.

At Budleigh Salterton they will fine you £80 for taking ONE pebble from the beach.

I heard it's £2000 at Chesil beach, but then it's an environment that's sensitive to coastal erosion.

Dawlish on the other hand will never be breached by the sea as our natural and man made coastal defences are more than adequate.

I am not in favour off braking the law but is it illegal to take pebbles from Dawlish beach? Here is the answer it is illegal to remove pebbles, sand, driftwood, or any object washed onto the beach, so if you pick up a plastic bottle from the beach and remove it you break the law. But to enforce this legislation notices as with all other enforcement ie parking have to be posted stating what you can and cant remove and as we all know these notices dont appear on Dawlish Beach, and of course the law works both ways. So if the current legislation was to be enforced you could be prosecuted if the notices were posted for removing sand that was on your feet and that is as stupid and irrelavent as this post. I will add that a licence is available for removing pebbles for making ornaments etc from the Crown Estate Office that allows you to take a limited amount from UK beaches.

So now ND you have found the person who is responsible for the storm damage in Feb 2014 where the sea washed away the railway lines and sea wall. Perhaps you were not here during that time. But thanks for being so observant. Chesil Beach is a National Heritage Site.

@leatash.  you're being too hard on yourself, your post is not stupid and irrelevant, you raise some good points.

Thank you so much for looking into the legislation, I stand corrected you obviously do care a great deal about this subject, having gone to so much trouble.

I sometimes remove rubbish such as a plastic bottle from the beach. If this constitutes breaking the law, I'll just join an organised beach cleanup at least then it's safety in numbers. Some of them are organised by Teignbridge District Council, I wonder if they know they're law breakers?

As for the sand, I think you mean you'd be prosecuted for removing sand from the beach which is accidentally attached to your footwear. I think you have a tendency to interpret the law too literally, common sense should prevail.

Signs or no signs, I always remove every single grain of sand from my shoes before I leave the beach, therefore I really should be applauded.

Those ornaments are really tacky, anyone selling them should be prosecuted for bad taste alone.

@Brooklyn Bridge thanks I do try my best. I was here in 2014, but lets not jump to any rash conclusions I really don't know if this one person is also to blame for the events of feb 2014. But their actions are pretty reckless. I have informed the authorities to, at the very least, install the necessary notices, thanks to the information provided by Leatash.

Indeed Chesil Beach is a National Heritage Site. Dawlish's coastal defence needs deserve better national recognition.

I think there's more than one beach around here that's short of a grain of sand...

I'm not the one keeping this thread going...