Plymouth MP committed to clearing “manky old boats” from Devonport beauty spot
Locals say Cornwall Beach as been "a dumping ground" for years.
An MP and city councillor are set to launch a campaign to clear abandoned boats from a Devonport beach which have become an eyesore and are posing safety risks for water users.
This week’s annual memorial service for the Royal Marines from Plymouth who served and died in Operation Frankton in France during the Second World War known as the Cockleshell Heroes has brought the state of Cornwall Beach sharply into focus.
The important event takes place above the beach at the North Corner War Memorial and is attended by families of those who died, the Lord Mayor, MPs and councillors.
Frustrated locals have been trying to get action for years saying the beach is being used as “a dumping ground”.
Along with old boats and tyres littering the site, the slipway and steps have been damaged and deteriorated, they say, and it’s no longer an attraction for swimmers, families and visitors.
In a Facebook post Sutton and Devonport Labour MP Luke Pollard, who attended the moving memorial service with Plymouth City Councillor Bill Stevens (Lab, Devonport) said this was a really important part of Devonport and it looked “a mess”.
It once served as hub for dockyard workers, a landing area for ferries and trade and a departure point for convicts to Australia.
“Myself and Cllr Bill Stevens are about to launch a campaign about these manky old boats,” he said.
They have been abandoned by their owners and are littering this beach.That is not good enough and we want to sort it out.”
He said there would be more updates soon about how people could “get involved in putting a bit more love into this really special part of Devonport.”
Cllr Stevens said he had managed to get all the litter cleared from the roadway for the service and now he wanted to get these boats cleared.
“They are an eyesore, they have been here far too long and we want this historic bit of Plymouth looking the way it should,” he said.
The MOD and Plymouth City Council own different parts of the quayside, which has complicated matters.
The MP said it would have to be a “combined effort”.
Landlord of the Steam Packet Inn Philip Head said the site had a history of people bringing boats there which they had brought cheaply, stripped them of anything worth keeping and then abandoned them.
He said litter at North Corner was a big problem in general and it was mostly the community who kept the memorial area tidy. He added that what had happened at the beach was effectively “criminal damage”.
“It’s going to cost a lot of money to get the steps repaired. It’s not the first time that I have raised this. The councillor and MP are saying the right words, now it’s time for some action.”
The Ministry of Defence said in August it was continuing to work closely with Plymouth City Council and other owners to organise regular clean ups and remove abandoned boats and debris.”