Residents of a historic Cornish beach face eviction despite winning planning approval last year in the face of environmental warnings. Sandway Campsite near the villages of Kingsand and Cawsand has been used for camping by locals since the 1930s, with some people able to trace the use of the site back through five generations.

However, Plymouth and Cornwall councils who own the site, have decided not to renew the license which allows people to camp over safety fears. Campers now face being labelled as trespassers as campaigners call on the council to "work actively" with locals to allow the site to continue to be used. Local user Katy Mabin said: "Losing this beloved site would erase nearly a century of community history and tradition - a detrimental blow not just to camping enthusiasts, but to the very fabric of Kingsand's identity."

Ms Mabin has created a petition calling on the council to find ways to allows the campsite, originally founded by local fishermen, to continue to be used.

The petition said: "The historical value of this site is not merely in its longevity but in the cultural heritage it represents.

"Sandway Point has been a sanctuary where lifelong friendships were formed, where children explored the wonders of nature for the first time, and where the gently, lapping waves provided the soundtrack to countless family gatherings and restful nights."

A lady who signed the petition hit out at "nosey jobsworths" in the council for depriving its continued use.

She said: "The Sandways community have been part of the community for hundreds of years how many accidents have happened due to the health and safety concerns have actually happened or injured any people? This is nosey jobsworth incomers at their worst."

Sandway Beach is owned and managed by Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council. Both authorities granted a lease to the trustees of the Sandway Campsite Association for 15 years starting from March 2009.

The lease allowed members of the association to erect tents for holiday use only and during intermittent periods of the year on land near Sandway Beach.

In 2013, Cornwall Council commissioned a report which identified risks in connection with the stability of the cliff next to the land.

In recent years there have been several landslides that have caused rocks to fall, landing close to the tents.

A joint statement by the councils said: "There was also concern that there is no sufficient escape route for the occupants on the beach. If the tide rises high enough and sweeps over the tents, then the beach could well become flooded and the occupants would be trapped; that risk would be even greater if flooding happened overnight whilst the occupants were asleep. The Environment Agency has confirmed (very recently) that those risks are still present.

"The lease expired on March 24, 2024, and the association's right to occupy the beach expired at that point.

"No further lease or licence has been granted to the association or any other party. This means that the members of the association who have been camping on the land after March 24, 2024, have been trespassing."

Kate Ewert, Cornwall Council's Labour councillor for the Rame Peninsula, said: "I am gutted about the state of affairs at Sandway. It's a part of our community and this is a rubbish way to be potentially brought to a halt.

"Fair enough, the survey said the land was unstable but it's been granted five more planning consents and able to use the land in the intervening 11 years, until suddenly the 2013 survey is gospel in 2024.

"I asked for a new full study to be completed, it seems a geological expert reviewed the report and referred back to the 2013 report and said the land is unstable and that's that."