A man studying Hoylake beach has received homophobic abuse and been targeted for being autistic.
The Wirral beach has been a controversial topic since 2019, when Wirral Council stopped all maintenance of it after an outcry over the use of the chemical glyphosate. Some are happy to see a greener, natural beach developing, but others are annoyed at the growth of grass and want to see raking return to restore ‘golden sands’.
Josh Styles, 26, a botanical specialist who has been studying Hoylake beach since 2019, favours the natural option and said he has been subjected to abuse from some of those who have the opposite view. Speaking to the ECHO, Mr Styles said: “I’ve had lots of abuse. I’ve been called a ‘swamp monkey’ and told I’m not credible because i’m autistic. I’ve also had people giving me minor homophobic abuse.
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“They've also called me things like 'pillock' and said I need a smack.” Mr Styles said he is getting “constant abuse” for making what he sees to be a completely rational case about something very important, especially when the country has lost most of its natural habitats.
Mr Styles said it upset him that he was getting abused for making the case for a sensible, well-reasoned approach that benefits everyone. He added: “A natural beach is an amazing carbon sink and it's amazing for biodiversity. It is all about perspective.
"It’s one thing to annihilate an internationally important, legally protected site for the sake of a setting when 95% of the beach is usable sand already. It makes absolutely zero sense."
Mr Styles said vegetation covers less than 5% of the usable beach and it is “benefiting us massively”, as well as boosting biodiversity. On the other hand, campaigners calling for ‘golden sands’ have argued a sandy beach is vital to Hoylake’s economy and that the growth of vegetation on the beach takes away important amenity space for the local community.
