‘Lazy, ignorant and selfish’ parking by motorists on Yorkshire beach

Councillor Dr Tristan Learoyd said Marske beach in his St Germain’s ward on Redcar and Cleveland Council was “rapidly becoming a car park for lazy, ignorant and selfish visitors”.

Speaking at a council meeting, he said: “This last weekend at least nine off road vehicles drove over 100 metres beyond the opening of the slipway to park up and have a day at the seaside.

“This behaviour is not only highly disrespectful to one of our borough’s areas of beauty, but endangers the lives of those enjoying the beach.”

Another Marske councillor Karen King confirmed she too had raised the same issue – with council leader Alec Brown saying he had been copied into an e-mail thread on the matter “going back months and months”.

Coun Learoyd said the offending motorists should be hit with a “significant fine”, adding: “Every Marske councillor has been fighting this for a long period of time – Coun King since about 2015 and it has become increasingly worse.”

Coun Brown said: “A couple of residents have contacted me on this, as has the local MP. We have powers we can use and are looking at signage, and most certainly we will be using social media channels to deliver a strong message.

“I share your frustration, I have seen the pictures and it is terrible. But we are dealing with it.”

Coun Learoyd claimed he had been told the local authority could not enforce parking on the beach, but said other councils were tackling the problem, including using powers under the Road Traffic Act 1988.

He asked: “Why are we receiving e-mails from council officers saying there is nothing we can do with regards to our beach?”

Coun Brown said Coun Learoyd “was speaking to the wrong officers” and suggested a Public Spaces Protection Order was being looked at, a legal measure available to councils in partnership with the police, which allows restrictions or conditions to be imposed on specific areas to prevent anti-social behaviour and ensure the safety and enjoyment of the public.