Tourists fined for taking sand from Sardinia's beaches

ALAMY

Tourists are being fined thousands of pounds for taking sand home from Sardinia's beaches

Four holidaymakers have been fined €1,000 (£960) each after they were found smuggling Sardinian sand through airport on way home

HOLIDAYMAKERS are being fined thousands of pounds for taking sand home from Sardinia's beaches.

The Mediterranean island is famous for its beautiful quartz sand beaches at Mari Ermi, Is Arutas and Maimoni.

But islanders are fed up with tourists trying to take a piece of the beach home with them.

According to officials at Elmas airport in the capital of Cagliari, more than 5 tonnes of sand was seized from passengers during just three summer months in 2015.

As a result of the confiscations, the local government put in place a new law that said people caught trying to take sand home could be hit with fines of up to €3,000 (£2,760).

The new rules came into force at the beginning of this month and people have already been hit with fines.

Four tourists have been fined €1,000 (£960) each after they were found carrying Sardinian sand.

Local media is also actively shaming tourists who try to plunder their beaches, according to the BBC.

GETTY - CONTRIBUTOR

Islanders are fed up with tourists trying to take a piece of the beach home with them

The news website Nuova Sardegna has shared footage of a couple filling up a bottle with white sand from Arutas beach.

Angry islanders are also shaming tourists on a Facebook page called  “Sardinia is being robbed and pillaged.”

Tourists and touts looking to make money from Sardinia's sand has long been a problem.

As early as 1994, people were banned from going to the country's Budelli island because so many people were pilfering the famous pink sand.