Sandbanks Hotel owner blasts council over sand clear up

John Butterworth said he had been trying in vain for months to get BCP Council to clear a mound of sand from a boundary wall ahead of the Sandbanks Hotel reopening on Wednesday, April 5.

The 76-year-old said he has spent £1,000 in a week hiring people to remove the “tonnes” of sand which covered the site’s beachfront terrace.

The mound accumulated so high up the boundary wall that Mr Butterworth, managing director of FJB Hotels, reported a dog was able to jump over it and onto the terrace below.

Sand blown onto the Sandbanks Hotel terrace. (Image: FJB Hotels)

He told the Echo: “We’ve been here as a family-run business for over 60 years and this hotel alone pays at least £4,000 in council tax a week. All we ask is that they clear the build-up of sand to stop it coming over – but they just won’t.

“What annoys me is that we see council bulldozers come and clear the area by the public toilets when the sand blows over. So it seems to us that they’ll clear the areas that benefit them, but not a local business. It’s a disgrace.”

As BCP Council solely manages the beaches, it is not responsible for the clean-up of sand on the hotel grounds.

However, Mr Butterworth’s colleague, Jo Clements, said the council should do more to help beachfront businesses ahead of the summer period.

Build up of sand covering steps leading from beach to Sandbanks Hotel terrace. (Image: Newsquest)

“I’m so angry, it’s soul-destroying,” she said. “This sets a very poor example to our visitors. This terrace is also used for a takeaway pizza facility for people on the beach, how are they supposed to reach it when the steps are buried in sand?”

“People will say, 'you're on a beach, deal with it'. It's not about that, it's about the council not maintaining it.”

A BCP Council spokesperson said: "The ongoing task of keeping our 12-mile-long promenade clear of wind-blown sand is challenging and demands a certain amount of prioritising.

“Our first priority is always to maintain access for emergency vehicles and thoroughfare access for pedestrians, pushchairs and wheelchairs along the Prom.

“Whilst we look to undertake planned management of sand on the rest of the beach, storm events and other operational pressures - such as the recent Bay Run along the Prom - can result in us needing to adjust our schedule.

“We are aware of the Sandbanks Hotel’s concerns about banked sand on the beach close to their terrace. Our seafront team have now been able to carry out the beach clearing activity in this area, resulting in the removal of the bulk of sand in front of the hotel.

“Due to the caution required, so damage is not caused to the wall, there is likely to still be some build-up of sand remaining against the wall as the tractor cannot scrape along it.”