Leave no stone unreturned...

[tikay]

Has anybody read the article?

I was about to comment then thought I should have a gander and it all seems very clear and fine to me.

It states that Cornwall Council 'owns' 57 beaches so that clears that one up nicely.

It also states "Removing stones from public beaches is illegal under The Coastal Protection Act 1949"

So where's the problem?

They make the valid point that removing stones from the beach affects coastal erosion, natural flood defences and wildlife habitats. One obviously won't hurt but it isn't just one, it's probably thousands and would most likely be a lot more if they didn't actively discourage it.

I know it sounds petty going after someone for taking a few stones as souvenirs but if you let them get away with that what's to stop someone taking them to build a rockery in their garden? If people didn't take the piss I imagine they wouldn't mind but unfortunately at some point it's become such a problem that they've had to take drastic measures and enforce those measures.

Spoilsport.

[MintTrav]

Sand theft is a serious problem, as the construction industry continues to gobble up the scarce resource of sand that takes thousands of years to replace. It may be hard to believe, but the world is running out of sand.

Beach theft, ie stealing a whole beach, is also a real thing, but less of a problem.

[RED-DOG]

Getting back to the topic, & Mr Mint said that it was theft, implying that the beach belonged to someone.

So who owns the beach? And why don't they charge rent for access?

There is a thing in law that says signs must be displayed if something is private property, failing which we have the right to access. Beaches don't display such signage, as far as I am aware?

Probably the same reason as council's don't charge for access to parks etc.

You couldn't just take a bench from a park and expect to get away with it.

A park bench costs money to buy & install, and someone - the local Council usually - would have paid for it, so no, we can't steal a park bench, that's a clear case of theft. You can't steal a fence, for the same reason, though I suppose we could sit on it.  

Nobody ever stopped us, as kids, from picking wild blackberries from a roadside verge. Is that stealing?

A pebble on a beach, or a grain of sand, or shingle, was not supplied, manufactured or installed by anyone, Nature just left it there.

It's no different, really, from fresh water, which water companies harvest & sell to us. Rainwater - which is where we get all our domestic water from -  does not belong to anyone does it? It just falls out of the sky, & folks are allowed to take it home, so to speak.

It's all very confusing, though I suppose, all things considered, of little import.

I wonder who criminals sell stolen fences to?

[tikay]

Ooh, very good.

[MANTIS01]

My mum lived in Salisbury and used to play on the Stonehenge stones. Then tourists arrived and each took a little chip of the stones home as a souvenir, so selfish. They figured in very short order there would be no Stonehenge left. So they built a fence around and charged a million pounds for entry. When I went I hurdled the wire determined to get a chip for myself. All hell broke out, it was like that scene from the Great Escape when the searchlights came back on. I'm like but it's just a little chip right? right?

[RED-DOG]

My mum lived in Salisbury and used to play on the Stonehenge stones. Then tourists arrived and each took a little chip of the stones home as a souvenir, so selfish. They figured in very short order there would be no Stonehenge left. So they built a fence around and charged a million pounds for entry. When I went I hurdled the wire determined to get a chip for myself. All hell broke out, it was like that scene from the Great Escape when the searchlights came back on. I'm like but it's just a little chip right? right?

Having to pay to go through a fence to see Stonehenge would make me feel entitled to take a chip.

Is culture only for the well off these days?

[RED-DOG]

Continuing with great titles, David Attenborough on cheetah cubs- Growing up Fast.

[atdc21]

Seems like we are between a rock and a hard place trying to working out the legalities of this scenario.