Beach fires leaving a mess are not a new event. It's been that way for years. In my patch at Omanu, cans, smashed or molten bottles, wire, charred wood, are normal especially after Guy Fawkes or New Year. Who's responsible for this? Mostly young males. It's a gender issue! It's well-known that the male brain takes much longer to mature, often not until about 35 years of age. Young males need clear and direct advice, not some waffle that allows for all sorts of alternatives. Fires are permitted below the high tide mark. What? That's the whole beach. No bigger than one square metre? Ridiculous! After a few beers, the bigger, the brighter the better, if you're a young male with your mates. Do we need to clean up after? Nah! Just kick some sand over. She'll be right!

How do you fix this problem? Make it illegal to light any fires on the beach! No ifs; no buts. That would mean, as soon as a fire is sighted, concerned citizens can summon the brigade and/or the Police and problem solved!

B Dey, Omanu.