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| No chance of beachcombing here - neatness must prevail |
WHAT are the favourite recreational activities along Cleethorpes central beach?
Sunbathing, splashing about in the sea, making sandcastles, metal-detecting having a kickabout, paddle-boarding, dog-walking, jogging, flying a kite . . .
Yes to all these, but there is one other that can - or could - be enjoyed equally at all times of year.
Beachcombing.
What child or adult does not enjoy the anticipation of discovering what harvest the strand might have reaped from incoming tide?
Lurking among the various types of seaweed could be starfish, crabs, cuttlefish bones, mussel shells, mermaids' purses and countless other marine treasures - maybe even a message in a bottle.
This, too, is the habitat of foraging birds - wagtails, turnstones and more.
But not in Cleethorpes. Here the central beach is raked clear of Neptune's harvest.
Its tideline is devoid of wildlife. The beach is featureless and sterile.
Most other UK authorities have long ceased the practice of beach cleansing, at least in winter, but North East Lincolnshire Council persists.
It is perhaps the last place in the world where a council pays its staff to remove nature from a beach.
This is degradation of habitat just for the sake of "tidiness".
What a waste of public money. And even worse, what a terrible indictment of one council's disregard for the environment.
The authority's portfolio holder for the environment is Cllr Stewart Swinburn.
He should terminate the beach-cleansing policy - at least during the winter months - forthwith.
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