Looking after the coast at Sandy Bay
Bridgend County Borough Council is only allowed to spend public money on land that is not privately owned and maintained. This is because of the way it is funded.
The Sandy Bay, Coney Beach and Trecco Bay area of Porthcawl causes a lot of confusion. It is often assumed that the council has responsibility for this entire stretch of coastline. However, this is not the case.
The responsibility is as follows:
- the dotted lines on the map show the land that is maintained by Bridgend County Borough Council
- most of the beach and land to the left of this area is maintained by the owners of Coney Beach Fun Fair
- a smaller section is maintained by the owners of the Hi Tide
- the beach and land to the right of the dotted lines are maintained by Trecco Bay Caravan Park
We regularly empty the 220 bins in the Porthcawl area, but dealing with litter is often difficult. A lot of it arrives with the tide, or is created overnight, during busy Bank Holidays and other periods when staff are not on duty.
How the council is dealing with litter
The council is dealing with litter in the Sandy Bay area in the following ways:
- collecting litter from the areas it is responsible for
- funding an additional, weekly litter-picking group
- working closely with local groups including Surfers Against Sewage, Porthcawl Lifeguards, Keep Wales Tidy and more
- adding bins along the Rhych Point road that runs through the top of the Sandy Bay site between Trecco Bay, the Hi Tide and funfair
- contacting local businesses to discuss ways to deal with the problem
- encouraging visitors to dispose of their rubbish responsibly