Don't dig large holes on beaches, warns coastguard

Visitors to the Lincolnshire coast have been warned about the dangers of digging large holes on beaches.

Cleethorpes Coastguard said the unstable nature of sand, especially when dry, meant it had the potential to collapse quickly without warning.

Deputy station officer Shaun Lee said: "It's like an avalanche effect, where the sand just keeps collapsing and collapsing, and then people just get completely buried in it."

Lee said visitors should avoid digging "deep, steep-sided holes".

"The problem is if you dig a hole which has steep sides, once it dries out the sand becomes more fluid," Lee said.

Referencing an incident in 2023, where a boy was trapped up to his neck in sand after the hole he was digging on the beach at Anderby Creek in Lincolnshire collapsed, Lee said the appeal was about ensuring people were safe while enjoying the beach.

"We don't want to be the fun police - just be aware of what you are doing if you are digging holes," he added.

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