Horrified residents have called for police intervention after hundreds of large nails were scattered across a beach access road. Steel bolts and even small saw blades were also placed on a track leading to an Anglesey beach often accessed by vehicles.
This week’s incident has been described as a “disgusting act of vandalism” that could threaten not only motorists, but also horse riders and other road users. Local residents have revealed it is the latest in a series of similar attacks going back at least two years.
The metal debris was dumped on a narrow road leading to Traeth Penial beach, a quiet stretch of stone and sand with no facilities. Situated in north Anglesey with views across Beddmanarch Bay to Holyhead, it is used by locals rather than tourists, who favour the sandy beach at nearby Porth Tywyn Mawr.
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Hannah Groom and her partner Tomi Jones, two dog walkers from the nearby village of Llanfachraeth, discovered the nail trap on Thursday evening (July 12). “A lot of nails have been placed in an area where people park right next to the beach,” said Hannah, 23, a calf rearer on a dairy farm. “There’s only room for one car.”
“There were still nails along the track. Judging by the way they were placed, in the potholes and tire tracks, it was clear that this was done on purpose. This was not an accident.”
“There were hundreds of nails lying around. We picked up as many as we could carry in our pockets. But there were still hundreds on the road.”
As soon as she could, Hannah posted a warning on Facebook. Riders were alerted, as were the coastguard and marine officers who might be using the beach. “It’s terrible,” said one woman. “What if a pensioner or a family ends up getting a flat tyre on their way home! It could be fatal!”
Hannah’s message prompted many offers of help from people eager to help clear the nails. Some pledged to bring metal detectors and powerful fishing magnets, others were just happy to walk the trail.
It quickly became clear that this was not an isolated incident. One woman reported seeing a similar nail trap last summer. Another said it had happened “multiple times,” with nails scattered in the same area.
A Holyhead man said it had been going on for years, claiming to have seen a “very strange person” behaving suspiciously on several occasions. He added: “I’ve pulled thousands of nails out of there over the years.”
A local farmer’s wife said cleaning up the nails was a challenge. “It’s absolutely horrible!” she said. “It’s been a constant battle like this for the last year or two. You have to constantly pick up the nails to keep the farm vehicles from getting punctured.”
Among the debris were masonry nails up to 10cm long, as well as roofing nails, nuts and bolts. While some were rusty, it was clear that many were new.
“This is totally irresponsible behaviour from someone,” said one man who offered to help with the clean-up. Another added: “Disgusting act of vandalism… risk to children, horses, bikers, motorcyclists and all motorists.”
The motivations for the attacks have left everyone baffled. Hannah, who plans to continue the cleanup, is as baffled as everyone else. “It doesn’t make sense,” she said.
“Whoever does this buys a lot of new nails, which are not cheap. It is very strange that a person would go to the trouble of being so mean.”
Traeth Penial is described as a “lovely quiet beach” that can only be accessed via narrow country lanes. Cars can drive on the beach, but only with caution, as much of the beach is covered at high tide. As a result, locals choose the only parking space on the access track.
North Wales Police have been contacted for comment. Get the best stories from the island with our Anglesey newsletter – sent every Friday
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