The little-known UK beach law that could leave you £1,000 out of pocket – and everyone’s guilty of it

HOLIDAYMAKERS who break a little-known law at beaches across the UK could risk being fined.

Tourists who remove natural materials, like sand and pebbles, from beaches across the country could be fined up to £1,000.

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Tourists who remove sand and pebbles from UK beaches could be issued a fine[/caption]

As reported by The Week, under the Coastal Protection Act 1949 it is illegal to remove sand, pebbles, or stones from UK beaches.

The law is enforced by local councils who have the power to issue fines of up to £1,000 to holidaymakers who are caught removing stones and sand.

In 2018, a British man who ‘stole’ stones from a beach in Cornwall was forced to drive hundreds of miles to return them.

According to the local council, the man had taken 10 stones from Crackington Haven, a beach near Bude in Cornwall, while he was on holiday.

After he returned home, he was contacted by the council and asked to return the stone back to the beach.

At the time, a spokesperson for the council said: “It may seem harmless, but given that many thousands of visitors to Cornwall’s beaches every year, every stone removed could have an impact on coastal erosion, natural flood defences, and wildlife habitats”.

And the UK isn’t the only place where taking sand away could land holidaymakers in hot water, Spiaggia Rosa on Budelli Island has been protected by the Italian Government since 1992.

While tourists aren’t allowed onto the beach, some holidaymakers have been caught flouting the ban after posing for photos on the beach.

Tourists who’ve attempted to take Sardinia’s pink sand away as a souvenir can up fined up to €3,500 (£3,007).

And according to the Guardian, a couple were fined €1,000 (£860) in 2001 after they were caught filling a plastic bottle with sand.

Meanwhile, beaches across Europe have also brought in measures to minimise the impact of tourists.

Here are several other pink beaches holidaymakers can visit across Europe – and one’s in the UK.

And a beach in the Canary Islands even has sand that looks like popcorn, due to the shape of the coral.

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Holidaymakers could be fined up to £1,00 for removing sand, pebbles and stones from UK beaches[/caption]