Sandway Beach near Kingsand and Cawsand in Cornwall has been a camping haven for nearly a century, with origins dating back to the 1930s when fishermen pitched bell tents on its sands, now replaced by canvas and PVC huts.

Devastated campers, some with family ties to the Rame Peninsula site spanning five generations, are reeling from the possibility of its closure amid safety concerns.

Authorities have warned occupants to "vacate the land immediately due to the risks of immediate danger/death" from flooding, rockfalls and landslips.

Cornwall and Plymouth City Councils, the custodians of the beach, have decided not to renew the campsite's licence, citing significant safety issues.

Members of the Sandways Campers Association are now being accused of trespassing on the land they have cherished for decades.

The Environment Agency has validated fears of increasing landslides from the cliffs above, adding weight to the councils' decision.

Concerns also extend to the lack of adequate evacuation routes should the tide surge and inundate the beach.

In response, local Kay Mabin has initiated a petition calling on authorities to save this "irreplaceable cultural landmark".

Kay highlighted the cherished history of the campsite, noting how its structures have been handed down through generations, from the "original bell tends of the early 1930s to the more modern canvas and PVC huts of today".

She elaborated: "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.

"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."

Camper Julia Koonde shared her nostalgia with the BBC: "We learned to fish here and we caught rabbits in the fields and my mum made rabbit stew.

"The material things don't matter when you're here, it's just nice to get away from the rat race."

Rebecca Lingard told the BBC: '"They don't change hands, they don't get rented out, they're used by the families themselves at the weekends and in the summer holidays.

"We want to work with the councils to come to a solution. We understand their concerns.''

Both Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council granted a lease to the trustees of the Sandway Campsite Association for 15 years from March 2009.

Members of the association were permitted to pitch tents for holiday use intermittently throughout the year on land near Sandway Beach, according to the lease.

However, in 2015, Cornwall Council commissioned a report that identified risks related to the cliff's stability adjacent to the land. This issue came to the fore around March last year when several landslides resulted in rockfall landing perilously close to the tents.

Geotechnical experts assessed the safety of the land and flagged the cliff and potential flooding as "risks of immediate danger/death to the occupants".

With the lease expiring on 24 March, 2024, the association's right to occupy the beach also ended at that time.

The councils issued a joint statement expressing concern about the lack of a sufficient escape route for beach occupants. They warned: "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."

They added: "The EA has confirmed (very recently) that those risks are still present."

They reiterated: "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 implies that any members of the association who continued camping on the land post-March 24, 2024, have been trespassing.

"Letters and emails were sent by Plymouth City Council between July and October 2024 asking members of the association to vacate the land immediately due to the risks of immediate danger/death to the occupants arising from the landslips and the flooding risks identified by the EA.

"The land was vacated for a period of time in late 2024/early 2025.

"However, members of the association have erected tents on the land and have been camping on the land again since April 2024."