Families 'abandoning' Irvine beach due to drunk teenagers and litter

Excessive drinking by teenagers is forcing families to stop coming to Irvine Beach.

That is the claim from Irvine Clean Up Crew, who also say the council should stop cleaning the shore unless they provide more staff.

The warning came before the death of Kayden Moy, who was found seriously injured on the beach following a disturbance around 6.45pm on Saturday.

The 16-year-old died in hospital after being given medical treatment at the scene.

Group member Jean Harris said: “During this hot weather, we are despairing of the problems on our beach, which is primarily caused by excessive drinking.

“Over several days, we have been on the beach early every morning and have collected nearly 300 towels, plus clothes and blankets, as well as supporting the council picking up hundreds of cans and bottles.

“The state of the beach is disgusting and is now stopping families from going. It is such an important asset, and a lot of regeneration work is going on at Irvine Harbour.

The group say police seem to be unable to stop the consumption of alcohol, especially as most of the teenagers are underage.

“They seem to be coming to the beach with bottles, but I thought the police would be taking them when they arrive in the area.

“The council gives us a lot of help,p but having discussed this with our committee members, we have agreed that we can no longer support them cleaning up the beach unless they can provide more manpower when the weather is hot.

“They arrive at 7.30am each day to clear things up, but we need more help as there is so much debris on the beach.

“It is concerning what the cost to the taxpayer will be, given that emergency services have been called out on a number of occasions.”

Chief inspector Judith Macgregor said: “We encourage people visiting beaches in Ayrshire to be responsible and act with consideration for others.

“As part of our Safer Shores initiative, officers are working with partner agencies to ensure Ayrshire’s beaches are safe and enjoyable for all.

“Any criminal or anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated, and we will carry out enforcement action where required.

“Anyone with information about those responsible for anti-social activity should report it to Police Scotland on 101 or make a call anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

A North Ayrshire Council spokesperson said: “We really appreciate the work that the Irvine Clean-Up Crew carry out across the area and particularly at the beach park.

“We are looking to assign an additional operative to the beach each morning for the rest of the season, we hope this will support our own staff and the Irvine Clean-Up crew in our joint pursuit of keeping the area looking good.

“We hope to be able to confirm the new arrangements as soon as possible.”