With the new general waste and recycling contract Cornwall Council have tried to save money by no longer removing seaweed from easily accessible beaches, often with a Blue Flag. With the adverse weather Cornwall has had this summer, some of those beaches are now covered with up to 3 feet of rotting, stinking seaweed. This vegetation attracts flies, which lay eggs, and within a week the seaweed is crawling with maggots. If there is no higher tide for a few weeks the seaweed just stays there, smelling and looking horrible. Obviously no one wants to use beaches with that on and if this continues the policy will do great harm to our Tourist Industry and the enjoyment of local people. 

 

In Falmouth the local Hotels Association have been organising volunteers to clean Castle Beach (which is the smallest, and easiest to have an effect) and with the help of the Asda volunteers, have now removed about 100 tons of dead vegetation.