Covid travel bans have put more pressure on Merseyside’s beaches prompting fears that more visitors will mean more damage to the local environment.
Volunteers at Sefton’s beaches have seen visitor numbers increase over the past year as pandemic rules made holidays abroad almost impossible, and staff are braced for a repeat this summer.
As schools begin to break up, Sefton’s Council has asked visitors to obey the rules by not leaving litter and not bringing BBQs onto the borough’s beaches because of the damage they could do to the area’s ecosystem.
READ MORE: Man abandoned by his mates and left lying seriously injured on beach
John Dempsey, from the council’s Green Sefton service, said: “This habitat is rarer than rainforest.
“We’re lucky a lot of our guests are very responsible, but there’s an element that needs to take our messages on board more.
“We allow free access here because it’s a wonderful site and we want people to enjoy it, but we want people to enjoy it responsibly.”
One concern is BBQs, which can not only cause injury when people leave them lying on the beach for others to step on or pick up, but also come with the risk of starting a fire in the “tinderbox” of grass on the dunes, damaging the habitat of rare species like the natterjack toad and sand lizard.
Mr Dempsey said: “All of these things rely on that habitat. If there’s a fire, because that land is enriched, more things can grow, things like nettles and docks.
“They shade areas out and the species we’re trying to protect no longer find it as attractive.
“If we lose them here, they’re not going to come back. They’re gone.”
Cllr Ian Moncur, the council cabinet member responsible for the beaches, echoed this message and asked people to plan ahead before they visit the coast.
He said: “The demand for parking, even on a Monday, is immense, so we’re trying to encourage people to come by public transport or cycling wherever they can so they’re able to safely and easily access the cost and not be facing problems of trying to park a car in residential areas where they so often cause difficulties for residents.”
Cllr Moncur also asked residents to consider alternatives to the beach during periods of hot weather, suggesting some of them could visit the borough’s parks instead.
He said: “Great though the beach is, there are alternatives for enjoying the sunshine other than the beach.”
Receive newsletters with the latest news, sport and what's on updates from the Liverpool ECHO by signing up here
