Wednesday 9 September 2009

Enjoying A Drink On The Beach


St Ives - Tregenna Place


Like many people here one of the things I enjoy is taking a bottle of wine down to the beach on a sunny evening and having a few glasses while enjoying the views.

I had a surprising conversation with somebody this week - they told me that their friends had been doing the same, just a quiet drink on Porthmeor Beach, when they were apprehended by the local police. They were warned that they were breaking the law and that their bottle of wine must not be visible. These were people in their forties by the way, not underage chavs.

St Ives has a street drinking ban in many areas. Not something I personally support, but I do believe it was designed to stop drunks causing a nuisance with their cans of Special Brew and Diamond White. Not to stop people enjoying a glass or two of wine on the beach.

I also wasn't aware that the ban extended to the beaches anyway.
Does anybody know the answer ?

Its also interesting that St Ives Finest have time to patrol the beaches to hunt down errant wine drinkers, while on many nights High Street, Tregenna Place and Chapel Street descend into a drunken circus. See picture above.

Finally - forgive me for getting a bit political - but its also symptomatic of the state we're in. Two simple words - "common sense" - have gone out of the window, to be replaced with targets, performance indicators and blind enforcement of the rules. But then it took them three days to even come round to check for evidence when our car was broken into. Remember - crime won't crack itself .

6 comments:

  1. To take this one step further, what about banning glass bottles from the beach? The number of broken glass pieces I collect on a daily basis from overnight drinking sessions is incredible. The beach is cleaned near to the cafe since it would affect trade otherwise, but outside of this area it is a real problem.

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  2. To take this one step further more what about banning locals from the beaches altogether after dark. We really cannot have St Ives peasants inconveniencing the well heeled patrons of our beachside restaurants can we.

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  3. It is a start, that way if the broken glass problem still exists then it is down to the Emmetts and then they will need to be managed accordingly, then let the locals back and see if they can control themselves.

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  4. We should also look at reviving the plan, mooted a couple of years ago, to develop luxury apartments at the western end of Porthmeor Beach. Part of the scheme involved fencing off that end and making it a private beach for residents only. This would at least keep one area clear of chavs, pikeys and general local riff-raff.

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  5. They did in Yeung's window? My favourite rib emporium.

    What idiot suggested carving up the beach into rich and poor sections? I happen to like my occasional drink on the beach — bubbly in a crystal flute which I do not intend breaking.

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  6. A trusted local source has told me:

    'The ban does apply to the beaches, as well as loads of streets in St Ives. There was a full list in the papers a few years ago, advertised as part of the consultation over the introduction of the ban.'

    So - Madam Miaow - if you enjoy a glass of bubbly on the beach you will be committing an offence. Be warned!

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