Residents of Polzeath, a seaside village on Cornwall's north coast, say they face recurring problems with misbehaving youths for around two weeks at the start of every summer. Hundreds of teenagers reportedly descended on the beach late at night this year, leaving behind rubbish and broken glass, while allegedly threatening beach rangers and security staff. Some have been spotted having sex on the beach.
Royal connection and influx of private-school teens
Polzeath, located at the mouth of the Camel Estuary, holds a long-standing connection to Prince William and Prince Harry, who frequently visited during their time at Eton College. The brothers spent many summers bodyboarding and surfing at the resort during their teenage years and have continued to visit as adults.
However, some locals believe the royal connection is the catalyst for an influx of affluent, private-school teenagers to Polzeath in recent years. Local Molly Pick, 31, who works at a coffee hut on Polzeath Beach, told the Daily Express: "There's a two-week period before the public schools break up where the private schools have already broken up. It's that two-week period."
She added: "I hate to make a generalisation but there's certainly a correlation between when the incidents happen and when which schools have broken up."
Disruption and police response
Devon and Cornwall Police confirmed their Polzeath Neighbourhood Policing Team introduced a dispersal order to "control anti-social behaviour in the beach area" on July 8. The order gave officers the power to remove people causing nuisance, leaving litter, or causing harassment. Beach rangers were also deployed to prevent escalation.
Andy Stewart, a beach ranger who retired from the police force in 2019, said this year's fortnight of chaos saw around 300 school children descend on the beach, with rangers forced to work "double shifts" to deal with the mayhem. He said incidents included underage drinking in public and teenagers having sex openly on the beach, with others becoming hostile and abusive to rangers.
Mr Stewart said plans are already in place to "hit the kids hard" next year. He noted that tourists pay "thousands" to stay in Polzeath and do not deserve to have their trip ruined.
Local businesses and residents affected
Local businesses also feel the impact, with many employing security guards during the worst-affected weeks. Kate Klimkova, manager of YoCoast, a cafe, arcade and entertainment centre on the beach, said: "We are thinking about hiring security guards down at the arcade to protect it from troublemakers next year. It'll help keep people safe here and hopefully stop any issues."
Tigs Coleman, 20, said the situation was "really bad this year after the schools had finished" and described "a lot of entitled people who left a lot of rubbish, chucking it around, and being rude to the locals". She said some locals now avoid the beach at the start of July, adding: "They should feel comfortable coming down and enjoying it."
Devon and Cornwall Police said the dispersal order meant anyone causing or likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress could be asked to leave the area, and anyone failing to comply could be arrested or returned home. Parents were urged to ensure their teenage children didn't cause a nuisance. Inspector Adam Stonehill said: "We're pleased to report that there was a significant reduction in anti-social behaviour in Polzeath as a result of action taken by the neighbourhood policing team, including the introduction of the dispersal order, increased foot patrols and engagement with young people."
He added: "We will continue to take a proactive approach each summer, with officers maintaining a visible presence in the town, engaging with visitors and residents, removing alcohol from any underage drinkers and responding robustly to incidents reported to us."
