Hope's Nose patrols tackling anti-social behaviour

It's where an angler bottled a seal

An enforcement team is about to start patrols at a Devon beauty spot where an angler was pictured throwing a bottle at a seal.

Large groups of commercial fishermen have been seen at Hope’s Nose in Torquay, where wardens have found litter and waste including human excrement.

The headland, owned by Torbay Council, is near the South West Coast Path. It is a site of special scientific interest managed by the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust - where a new team of officers has been taken on to enforce a Public Space Protection Order covering the site.

The 10-week campaign is being funded by a £10,000 grant from the Devon and Cornwall police and crime commissioner. The order bans litter, camping, fires and barbecues, and limits an individual’s catch of mackerel to 20 in 24 hours. But visitors have reported large amounts of litter and rubbish left on the land.

On one visit, volunteers from the Seal Project saw an angler throwing a glass bottle to scare off a seal. They found tents on the land and cleared up 12 bin bags of rubbish.

A statement from the Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust said officers had been taken on this week to enforce the PSPO. It said staff had found an “unprecedented amount” of litter, dog waste and human excrement since the coronavirus lockdown was eased in mid-May.

The statement said: “We are appalled and horrified at the total lack of respect shown by a minority for our most lovely green spaces, in particular at Cockington Country Park, Berry Head and Hope’s Nose.”

Chief executive Damian Offer said: “Our team and our volunteers dedicate an extraordinary amount of care and hard work into looking after and maintaining these sites for the benefit of everyone to access and enjoy. It is therefore distressing to see them assaulted and disrespected like this.”