Brighton sands may stay dirty

Press, 1 June 1977, Page 14

Brighton sands may stay dirty

New Brighton beach might remain strewn with seaweed and debris as it seems unlikely any machine can cope with the problem. Several speakers at a meeting of the New Brighton Pier and Foreshore Society said that it would be almost impossible to find a machine to sift the New Brighton sands successfully. If the sands could be cleared, the surf would undo the good work in a matter of hours. Mr M. Palmer, of the Christchurch East Rotary Club, suggested to members of the society that the organisations together purchase a beach-cleaning machine costing $5500. Mr H. G. Gilpin, the Christ-

church City Council’s director of parks and recreation, said this machine had been tested at New Brighton several years ago with “pitiful results.” Mr M. Stevens, of the New Brighton Resident’s Association, said he had developed a beach-cleaning machine a few years ago to clear the beach before a surf competition. The ’machine had worked only when varying weights were attached to the rake, and after hours of work the beach was covered with seaweed the next morning. The meeting decided to consider the provision of rubbish tins to help eliminate bottles and similar litter on (the foreshore.