New plans are being proposed to ban glass bottles and BBQs on some of Kents beaches.
Canterbury city council leaders want better enforcement along the coastline, from Herne Bay to Whitstable and hope that a deterrent of £100 fine will be suitable to stop the behaviour.
Similar rules are already in force at a number of parks across the Canterbury district and the new rules follow reports of local swimmers finding shards of smashed glass in their feet.
The lighting and discarding of disposable barbecues on the seafront will also be outlawed. Not only do disposable barbeques cause a mess and get left behind when people leave the beach, they can remain hot for a long time, which can be a danger to children and wildlife.
Cllr Ashley Clark, said “We’ve had numerous complaints from people who try to walk on the beach and find broken glass all over the place. We don’t want that. It’s got to stop. People get injured – I and others have been cut by glass at the beach – and animals get cut. And when certain people see bottles, they go around smashing them. We’ve been having yobs having bottle-smashing competitions”.
it’s limited specifically to the beach because that’s where people tend to have bare feet
Whilst we fully support the councils initiative to clean up and protect our outdoor spaces and wildlife, we do wonder how they propose to ‘police’ this.
As with any good idea, it needs to be enforced otherwise the previous behaviours are allowed to continue.
It is similar to the ban on using mobile phones whilst driving. We all know it is illegal and can result in license points and a fine, but most of us still witness it nearly every day.
It should not come down to the public to have to try and enforce this, otherwise it could lead to innocent people being hurt. Let’s hope that the council have provision for plenty of enforcement officers to check these beaches at all times of the day – so that those at fault know there is a good chance they will get caught.