An idyllic seaside village has prepared itself for a fortnight of anti-social behaviour, coastal romping and light drug usage.
Residents and visitors of Polzeath in Cornwall are putting in place a string of defensive measures to stop chaotic scenes endured over recent summers returning to their beach, reports CornwallLive.
Last year the coastal settlement was hit with an influx of teenagers who dumped broken bottles of alcohol and laughing gas cannister all over the beautiful beach.
Emergency life-saving equipment was vandalised, trees were uprooted and burned, and countless Prosecco bottles were smashed and left in the sand.
Locals suspected the interlopers were private school pupils as they had arrived in the town two weeks before state school summer holidays began.
A two-day 10pm curfew was imposed by police in a bid to control the chaos and clear the beaches of hundreds of youthful revellers, who lit fires using surrounding benches, fences and stolen shed doors.
This time around the town is prepared, a large CCTV camera having been installed to watch the beach which will be lit up by rechargeable floodlights powerful enough to illuminate any untoward behaviour.
Andy Stewart, a former police officer who now spends his time combatting anti-social behaviour in the area, said the lights would be switched on at 1am and bin bags handed out to any remaining beach dwellers to clear up the mess.
Polzeath has long had a reputation as a home of the rich and famous, with Fat Boy Slim, Gordon Ramsay, Hugh Grant and David Cameron all enjoying time in the village.
“We want people to have an amazing time. Polzeath is a very popular Blue Flag beach and surf resort that attracts all different age groups. But it’s becoming known as a party town like Newquay was in the 90s when it became full of stag and hen dos," Mr Stewart said.
"It took 10 years for Newquay to turn itself around and be known as a family-friendly place again. We don’t want Polzeath to go into decline because once it’s gone we’ll struggle to get our reputation back.”
Like many coastal towns and villages in Cornwall, Polzeath was overwhelmed with visitors more often associated with the ‘Brits-abroad-in-Benidorm crowd’ during the pandemic summers and found itself going downhill fast, local claims.
“Polzeath is 99.5% awesome. We just don’t want the 0.5% to spoil it all for everyone else," Mr Stewart added.
Polzeath Beach Rangers was formed in 2019 by Cornwall Council, before being devolved to St Minver Highlands Parish Council, as a way to provide a focal point for ‘problem solving’ and ensure the beach keeps its chilled vibe in the summer months - days and nights.
Kerensa Beer-Robson, has been trading out of the Beach Box cafe for seven years and was one of the driving forces behind the Polzeath Together campaign, a local community activism group.
The scheme brings together Cornwall Council, the police, fire service, RNLI, the Environment Agency, as well as local traders and beach rangers to help tackle the growing problems of anti-social behaviour that the village as a whole has been suffering from.
“We love visitors and we need them,” Kerensa said. “We have no issue with tourists as we rely on them. The more the merrier.
"But it’s the tiny minority who are wrecking it for everyone else that we have issues with. We are trying to get through to them and get the message out. Police have upped the ante too and anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated. It’s not a ‘them and us’ thing. We rely on tourism but we want the beach to be enjoyable by everyone.”
Last year the owner of Pasty Cellar in Polzeath, Tim, said he had enough with what Polzeath has become, filled with holiday lets and multi-million pounds second homes, and a shrinking local trade.
He said the popularity of Polzeath has been such that the village has lost its soul and has become a ghost town in winter months.
“I’ve seen these kids get dropped off at mummy and daddy’s second home with a credit card and a bag of booze. Happy days," he told CornwallLive.
"But expensive education doesn’t seem to translate in good behaviour - at least for a minority of them. It’s like they go feral. I think it’s the attitude of the parents that’s to blame.
“It doesn’t help that there’s no local trade any more. Everyone is trying to do the same thing. There are so many pop-up shops now. I’m annoyed with the way it’s become overdeveloped.
"I think it’ll probably be my last season. I’ve had enough of having to try to make all my money in nine weeks when I still have to pay rent 12 months of the year.”
