Residents of a UK seaside village have blasted a local council after a 600-metre fence appeared, blocking their view of a stunning beach vista.
Sandhead Beach in Sandhead, Dumfries and Galloway, is now partially blocked by a fence installed by the local council.
Community leaders installed the fencing to protect local ecology and prevent coastal erosion that has plagued the area since 2021.
But locals have taken umbrage with the decision, claiming the barrier has “ruined” their coastal views.
Visitors have said the community has turned into a “hostile place”, and residents have said there “must be a better way” to protect wildlife.
Speaking to STV, returning visitor Wendy McQuillan said it felt as if Sandhead was only welcoming to those who “stay behind the fence”, and added: “What a hostile place it has turned into.”
One unnamed resident added that “no one” would want to sit behind the fence and gaze out to sea “for any long periods of time in the summer”.
Another said the fence was an “eyesore, whatever the excuse”, but not everyone is opposed to the new infrastructure.
Countering naysayers on the Stoneykirk & Ardwell Facebook community group, another resident said that, without the fence, there would be no beach left to fight about.
They said: “If current weather and tides continue, the part of the land you are arguing about won’t be there much longer to fight about. Simple.”
Stoneykirk Community Council installed the fence following a two-year public consultation with Solway Firth Partnership, Dumfries and Galloway Council, and NatureScot, which resulted in plans to rewild the area.
A spokesperson for the council defended the fencing as vital for ensuring the village’s local ecology could survive and thrive.
They said: “As part of their local consultation and engagement, the Community Council asked NatureScot for its view on the area which is now fenced, as parking over many years and a recent storm had reduced the vegetation and caused the once common adders, lizards and whinchats to disappear.
“We agreed it would be beneficial to protect and enhance the affected area, providing that the longstanding free public access was not greatly affected.
“The restoration of the habitat and in particular the increase in vegetation at the site will help combat the effects of climate change and storm impacts on this coast.”
