Beach is cleaned in protected area after “moment of madness”

Plants are cleared from a Wirral beach after beach management stopped in 2021.

In 2022, Wirral Council was again given permission to rake a small area of ​​beach in the town “to provide a clean, litter-free beach area”, but this did not include any removal of vegetation that had grown since the permit expired in 2021.

In July 2023, Wirral Council was granted permission until 2026 by environmental regulator Natural England to clear an area of ​​vegetation in West Kirby, near the town’s marine lake. However, this was conditional on the Marine Management Organization granting permission for the use of excavators and tractors on the beach.

READ MORE: General election speculation mounts as emergency cabinet meeting held – live updates

ALSO IN ECO: Stunning images show massive plans for Liverpool Central Station

The local authority said it had now received all the necessary permission for work to begin with some praising the move. West Kirby councilor Andrew Gardner pointed out that a video they shared had been played more than 8,000 times on Facebook, adding: “This is the first step in returning leisure beaches to West Kirby and Hoylake after the madness of the Labor Party to stop beach management.

“The commitment we have had to this is over the top and Natural England must take note as we progress discussions on Hoylake Beach.”

However, the move has been criticized by some on social media concerned about the impact on protected wildlife habitats in the Dee Estuary. Josh Styles, a botanist, on social media platform X said: “a beautiful place in a globally important site for biodiversity with potential for European protected species” was “now destroyed”.

He previously told the ECHO: “We are really at a point of natural disaster in the UK. We have one in six species at risk of extinction,” adding: “We have a decision to either adapt, which can be done very easily, and we can give natterjacks and other species a chance of not going extinct.”

A Wirral Council spokesman said: “This work is the mechanical removal of an area of ​​common grass and common marsh grass from part of the beach at West Kirby.

“A Habitat Regulation Assessment (HRA) has been carried out. The work has been authorized by the Marine Management Organization (MMO), has the consent of Natural England and is allowed to take place for a maximum of two weeks.

“The affected section is a rectangular shaped area of ​​the beach which runs north from the Dee Lane access point towards – but slightly beyond – the boundary with the southernmost point of Royal Liverpool Golf Club and runs west to a point approximately in line with the north-west tip of the West Kirby Sailing Center car park.

“The rest of the area off the coast of West Kirby is managed as a natural beach; shaped and maintained by tidal activity and other naturally occurring events.

“Wirral Council already has approval from Natural England (NE) to carry out a regular patching of this part of the beach at West Kirby, using a Barber rake to provide a clean, litter-free beach area close to the shore. This existing 2022 agreement allows raking between April 1 and September 30 and is in effect until March 31, 2027.”

A spokesperson for Natural England said: “Following the assessment, Natural England concluded that, with appropriate mitigation, the recoverable small-scale loss of pioneer vegetation in the moor would not result in deterioration of the SSSI. bog remains and thrives on the site.

“The advice we have provided for managing the beach is being followed and we will continue to support Wirral Council with future guidance and monitoring.”

Don’t miss the biggest and breaking stories by subscribing to the Echo Daily newsletter here

£10* unlimited day travel on Northern trains only with ECHO