WITH its idyllic golden sandy beach and swanky bars, Polzeath has long been a holiday hotspot for the rich and famous.
But could easily have been mistaken for the Greek party destination of Faliraki in recent days after being trashed by “feral” posh kids from private schools.
The stunning Cornish village of Polzeath is being trashed by ‘feral’ posh kids from private schools Credit: Refer to Caption
The youngsters are drinking on the golden sandy beach and even using fake ID’s to try get into bars Credit: Neil Hope
They descended on it in their droves last week — to the fury of locals — after breaking up for the summer holidays.
Cops caught one pair of youngsters in a sexual act behind a burger van during a raucous party, while other boozed-up youths have been seen smashing glass and urinating on the beach.
It led Devon and Cornwall to take what it called an “unusual step” of issuing a 48-hour dispersal order to clamp down on antisocial behaviour, which ended in the early hours of Friday.
Such powers were used to combat the 2024 anti-immigration riots in England and Northern Ireland, as well as the hundreds of young looters who descended on London’s Oxford Street in 2023, driven by posts on social media.
One local business owner in said: “A copper said he went round the back of the Clever Trevor food van and caught two people in the middle of a sexual act.
“They’re all private school kids — this doesn’t happen at any other time of the year.
“They’re really, really obnoxious and behave outrageously.
“The scenes are more like what you’d expect to see in Faliraki or the Costa del Sol than a middle-class Brit village.
The youngsters have left the toilets in an absolute state Credit: Polzeath Beach Ranger Service
Devon and Cornwall Polcie took the ‘unusual step’ of issuing a 48-hour dispersal order to clamp down on antisocial behaviour Credit: Neil Hope
“Their parents just drop them off. They know what’s going on.”
The surfing resort is adored by celebs including TV chef and former PM , both of whom have second .
and his brother learned to surf in Polzeath when they were young.
They have since returned many times, including during William’s stag do.
It is a long-standing tradition for private school kids aged around 13 to 17 to party at the resort during the first two weeks of July, before the state schools break up.
But business owners reckon this year has been worse than ever before — with up to .
The owners of the Surfside restaurant and bar say they spend more than £17,000 bolstering their security for the two weeks. Last week, staff have already confiscated more than 100 fake IDs from kids hoping to booze in the trendy venue.
Bar manager Louis Cocking, 25, said: “We’ve got high-quality door staff who work really hard to deal with the ridiculous number of kids who come through.
Three officers from Devon and Cornwall Police on patrol Credit: Neil Hope
Huge crowds of youngsters partying on Polzeath beach Credit: Supplied
“We check their IDs on the door and the bar as well. It’s seasonal work here, so we’re getting staff up to speed.
“These two weeks are a baptism of fire.”
Chris Harding, owner of Harding & Scoots Coffee, said: “This has been the worst year we’ve had. Some of these kids are entitled, arrogant and rude.
“In the evenings it’s carnage — and you don’t see a lot of it until the next day.
“It’s like a festival with all the broken glass, and there are sometimes barbecues buried in the sand which are still hot.
“There are families with little kids playing here. It’s dangerous.
“They seem to feel like this is a place to destroy, not enjoy.”
Dad-of-one Chris, 52, who lives in nearby Downderry, added: “These people supposedly pride themselves on etiquette, but they show none of it here.
Married dad-of-two Lee Mahoney has had ‘young girls relieving themselves’ outside his business Credit: Neil Hope
Chris Harding, owner of Harding & Scoots Coffee, said: ‘Some of these kids are entitled, arrogant and rude’ Credit: Neil Hope
“I’ve heard the kids calling the police ‘pigs’.
“This is a tourist-driven village. We need the business, but we’d also like them to be more respectful.”
Married dad-of-two Lee Mahoney, 64, runs The BounceZone Family Activity Centre, where holidaymakers can enjoy crazy golf, bungee trampolining and bouncy castles.
He said: “We’ve had trespassers in here. One lad was playing in the public footpath and the ball kept coming in.
“I spoke to an adult who I think may have been his dad, but he didn’t seem to care.
“On another occasion, there were young girls relieving themselves outside. They are feral.”
Many of own second homes in the area where they stay during the break — but locals claim that some mums and dads hire out a separate property for their kids to stay in with their pals.
One said: “I’ve heard about some houses having up to 20 kids staying in them. It’s crazy. The parents will get drunk in bars together while their kids run riot.”
Prince William and his brother Harry learned to surf in Polzeath when they were young Credit: Marc Giddings – The Sun
Three years ago, the issues got so bad that the council installed a CCTV tower.
In 2019, retired police officer Andy Stewart, 55, was hired as the first beach ranger — with his role funded by businesses through a community interest company.
But despite the best efforts of local authorities, the problems have persisted.
And they came to a head last Tuesday night, when some 300 youths drinking beers and Freixenet sparkling wine gathered on the beach and partied until the early hours.
Devon and Cornwall Police issued a 48-hour dispersal order on Wednesday.
It gave cops the power to ask those causing harassment, alarm or distress to leave the area — or face being nicked or taken home, and not allowed to return to the area during the dispersal period.
Force chiefs warned that underage drinkers would have their booze confiscated.
Officers were seen shining torches on youths as they partied in darkness.
When the dispersal order was announced, Inspector Adam Stonehill stressed that the antisocial behaviour was “directly linked” to the teens gathered on the beach.
He said: “We are not here to spoil the summer fun for young people, and those who behave respectfully and just want to meet up with their mates are not a problem.
“However, the behaviour of a few is detrimental to all and we must consider the wellbeing of everyone in the locality.”
Thankfully, in a few days the chaos will end for another year.
As one local put it: “Once the state schools finish and the families come down, the private school kids disappear.
“They go basically overnight, like the flick of a switch — and then there’s no more trouble until next summer.”
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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