Council pledge ‘zero tolerance’ after two men from Wiltshire are sentenced for driving dangerously on beach

A council has pledged a “zero tolerance” approach to bad driving on a popular sandy beach after two men were sentenced for driving dangerously during an incident in February last year.

Cyngor Gwynedd said irresponsible driving would not be tolerated on Black Rock Sands in Morfa Bychan.

Irresponsible driving

The council’s position comes after Thomas Freeman, 21, and Joseph Rainbow, 20, both from the Wiltshire area, appeared at Caernarfon Magistrates’ Court on November 28.

Both were handed 16-month driving bans and 100 hours of unpaid work.

The beach allows access for vehicles but in recent years police have cracked down on anti-social behaviour and irresponsible driving in the area.

Over the years, complaints have been made about drivers speeding and performing handbrake turns and doing “donuts”.

PC Kieran Rowlands previously said dangerous driving at Morfa Bychan was “understandably a local concern” and that it caused “significant demand on officers each year”.

“This is a public area which families, residents and tourists should be able to enjoy without the fear of anti-social driving,” he said.

“We will respond to any reports of inappropriate behaviour and take proportionate action against those found to be driving dangerously.”

Dispersal orders had been issued at some car meets and the police pledged to continue patrolling the area.

Officers stated they would take “a zero-tolerance approach” to anti-social driving on the region’s beaches – a view being firmly echoed by Cyngor Gwynedd.

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Safety concerns

Councillor Nia Jeffreys, deputy leader of Cyngor Gwynedd and cabinet member for economy and community, said: “As someone who lives locally and who often visits the wonderful Morfa Bychan beach, I know how popular it is with local residents and tourists.

“But everyone should be able to enjoy themselves on the beach without having to worry for their own safety and that of their families because of selfish individuals driving wildly on the beach.

“Motorists can pay to access and park on the beach here and the vast majority respect the rules and drive responsibly on the beach, but unfortunately a small number who visit are breaking the law by driving irresponsibly and carelessly.

“As a council we work closely with North Wales Police to ensure that motorists adhere to the rules for the beach.

“I would like to thank everyone who works hard to keep the public safe on the beach and I hope that this sentence underlines that anti-social behaviour of this type will not be tolerated.”

Members of the public who are concerned about any vehicles or the behaviour of any drivers at Morfa Bychan beach can contact North Wales Police on 101 quoting the registration number of the vehicle.