‘Nessuno possiede la sabbia’: la recinzione di 12 metri che divide una ricca cittadina balneare

The issue here is yes unfortunately, within England and Wales at least, someone can own the sand.

You’ve got the foreshore, the bit between low and high water marks (i.e. a bit of land that’s sometimes under water) which is typically owned by the crown and generally the crown will allow public access, however some foreshore is privately owned.

Above the foreshore it’s just land like any other so of course can be privately owned.

Here I think the land owner has fenced off down to the foreshore going by the photos and insisting people stay walking on the narrow foreshore bit rather than daring to walk on their privately owned bit of sand. Sadly they may be within their legal rights to do this. The asisine floodlights and loud speaker to yell at you might violate planning at least?

Does look like further down the beach the whole foreshore is fenced off, perhaps this is one of those rare places with privately owned foreshore? The property owner the reporter spoke to seems to think so but I’m sure people who own property adjoining that beach are keen to claim it as theirs even if it isn’t.

There’s a nice article here for people who want to read about foreshore access: https://www.brecher.co.uk/news/troubled-waters-rights-of-access-to-the-foreshore/

Looking at the final picture I’m guessing those fences went up in response to those dog walkers not picking up their dogs shit.