This year, without the usual summer holiday season underway in Swanage, seaweed that collects along the beach won’t be removed by Swanage Town Council as a matter of course.
In a normal year, when there’s an influx of tourists visiting the beach, the seaweed is scooped away by a digger to allow holiday makers more space to enjoy the sand.
Leave the seaweed
This year with resources limited and people being asked to think twice before visiting, Swanage Town Council has decided to leave the seaweed in its natural habitat along the shoreline.
Swanage Town Council said:
“During the current crisis we have left the seaweed on the beach, which has helped create a more natural appearance and saved the town council money from unnecessary clearance.”
With easterly gales blowing, a huge pile of seaweed (pictured above) has accumulated this week and it’s likely to remain until after this weekend, when it should naturally be washed back into the sea.
Welcomed by naturalists
Leaving seaweed on the beach is regarded as having many environmental benefits including creating a natural ecosystem for marine life. It is welcomed by naturalists as it also serves as a protective barrier from beach erosion.
