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A campaign to keep Sefton’s beaches clean, safe and trouble-free has seen two people arrested for arson. A 16-year-old from St Helens and a 14-year-old from Kirkby were caught after three fires were lit among the dunes near Lifeboat Road at Formby Point.
People using the beach called the police and fire service after seeing a large amount of smoke and feared the fires could spread among the grass.
Two officers from the Operation Beachsafe team, who were on patrol in a police Landrover, responded and, thanks to help from the public, identified the offenders and arrested them for arson.
Both were taken to Southport custody suite where they were interviewed. The 14-year-old was subsequently bailed pending further enquiries and the 16-year-old was released without further action.
The fires were put out by Mersey Fire and Rescue Service.
The arrests mark an early start in 2011 to Beachsafe, a multi-agency, summer-long operation aimed at protecting the beaches in Formby, Crosby and Ainsdale from anti-social behaviour and maintaining them as pleasant places to visit and enjoy.
Formby Neighbourhood Inspector, Jim Atherton, said: "With the fine recent weather and an early Easter break this year, Operation Beachsafe is in full swing already as proved by these two arrests.
"Although we would rather not have to arrest people for starting fires, the fact that we have shows the action we are prepared to take if people do not respect the beaches.
"The police and its partners will be out in force throughout the spring and summer, with a high-visibility presence, dealing with things like drinking in public, illegal fires, littering, anti-social behaviour.
"Our aim is to reassure those who live near the beaches or use them recreationally that the police are here to help them and at the same time warn those who show a disregard and disrespect for the area that their behaviour will not be tolerated here."
Beachsafe is a season-long, multi-agency operation aimed at keeping Sefton’s most popular beaches safe and pleasant places for people to enjoy the summer by taking tough action against people committing anti-social behaviour and other criminal offences.
The operation will see significant numbers of police officers patrolling the beaches and surrounding areas at peak times to deter this behaviour and reassurance beachgoers and local residents.
PCSOs will be accompanied by mounted officers, dog patrols and dedicated neighbourhood officers with good local knowledge to deal with specific problems such as drinking on the beach, fights, large gatherings of young people intimidating residents and the associated problems of vandalism and litter.
Officers will also be on the look-out for young people putting themselves into dangerous situations such as drinking in the sand dunes in the dark late at night, and the lighting of fires.
