Metal Detecting

Was relaxing earlier this week on a very popular South-East beach when I look up and a guy is swinging a detector about. The problem is it was midday on a really hot day and the beach was rammed, I mean no space to even put a towel down and this guy is walking in between people detecting, the gap he had was so small his arc must have been no wider than 2 feet. Him and another guy, not sure how relevant it is but they weren't British. I hope I'm not alone in thnking this was an inappropriate time and place to detect, it's people like that who give the hobby a bad name.

Not something I would do personally. Seems rather inconsiderate and also doesn't sound particularly enjoyable.

Did anyone complain?

This is exactly the sort of idiotic behaviour which has led Cornwall County Council and many others to restrict beach detecting. At Weymouth the council has even got Crown Estates to sign up to a daytime ban, so your permit is no good there after 10 in the morning until 6 in the evening.

If this keeps on there will be a ban on all . Personally I haven't got a problem with dry sand time restrictions, or even wet sand on particularly busy beaches, but what I do object to is the fact that idiots like the one you saw have made life harder. Beach detecting on the crown foreshore depends on the tides and if low tide is between the restricted times you've got a problem.

i just read "they weren't british" how did you know? i have seen a lot of bad things in fishing due to eastern europeans, who have little or no regard to licensing, permits, rules etc. hence why after 30 years i gave it up as a bad job. if indeed they were from another country, i doubt they wiould therefore have had permits. which raises the question "how to police it" crown estates wise

yorky55 wrote:i just read "they weren't british" how did you know?

Heard them talking to each other, dont know what language exactly but it was certainly East European.

I think I saw these two last year in the Eastbourne area.Same m.o.

My guess is they were not Germans otherwise nobody would have been able to get on the beach in the first place for their towels?

Seen it happening on Youtube and to be honest, I don't know how they've got the b***s to do it.

Wow ...im really suprised it doesnt kick off ...thats just so rude & stupid

We do a lot of beach detecting and wouldn't ever dream of going during peak 'family times'. We only go when the beaches are very quiet.

There is a beach area I use and if the weather is go weekend etc the part of the beach I use fills up with day trippers I stay away overcast days which is 90% of the time here even in summers months not one person on that beach so if busy stay away other days get out there so hopefully next weekend is overcast because thats where I will be have not been out for a while now so looking forward to it.

Yep its not good to search a crowded beach. One thing is you won't get any peace with the 'pied piper' what did you find mister? questions lol and out of respect for others it just doesnt look good for the hobby when you don't give people time to relax at the beach. If i arrive at the beach i'll normally either detect if there is very few on it or use it as a fact finding mission noting places that are very popular to sit for again when i next come back to do a bit of detecting.
Cheers
Stephen

That would not be allowed on my local beach!.. They would have been chased of until the day trippers have all gone home. How can anyone be so rude?...