A FAMILY from London were spotted camping on Bournemouth beach, despite the rules in place by BCP Council.

On the evening of Monday, September 7 a family of four set up camp on the beach with a barbecue and their tent adorned with fairy lights.

BCP states that overnight camping on the beaches across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is not permitted at any time and eviction and prosecution may occur if people are found camping on these beaches.

Those camping on the beach may face a visit from the council's security teams and an eviction notice, leaving visitors with nowhere to stay.

If campers fail to provide details to council staff moving them on, they could face prosecution due to it being a criminal offence.

However, the family from London did not face any of these consequences on September 7.

A spokesperson for BCP Council said: "I can confirm that the seafront team are not aware of a specific family camping on the beach, but our Rangers team (daytime) and Security team (nighttime) are still dealing with issues like this if they occur."

For some councillors however, this and the rules in place are not enough to deter people from camping on beaches across the conurbation.

Conservative Councillor Mike Greene said: "It’s absolutely clear that the council is not doing enough. We had quite a few camping incidents a few months ago in the height of the pandemic and I was shocked to read that the council didn’t consider it a priority.

"There are an awful lot of things the council can improve on. They should be going round telling people that they are not allowed to camp on the beach and if they refuse to move, the tent should be confiscated,

"I have felt that in the past few months the council has dropped the ball on enforcement. Across the board enforcement needs to be improved and improved fast.

"When one person camps on the beach, it leaves the door open for 10 to hundreds of others to do so."

This view differs to that of David Haith, who met the London family when he was out taking pictures on Bournemouth beach.

He thinks that camping on the beach is harmless, especially when fun is being had.

David said: "It was obvious that they were going to be moved on as the beaches are cleaned early in the morning, but the family were cheerful and seemed happy to be on the beach and were having a good time. I don't quite know what the council is doing, but presumably there must be some restrictions.

"I think it's a minor problem and people can be very judgemental about it, which is unnecessary. Camping on the beach is a very grey area, there doesn't seem to be a bylaw against sleeping on the beach, so if the family removed their tent and just slept in their sleeping bags, is it an offence?"