Canary Islands: Fuerteventura airport officials forced to confiscate over 4,500kg of sand | Travel News | Travel
In the last four months, officials at Fuerteventura airport have had to confiscate more than 4,500kg of sand, stones and shells. It is forbidden to transport sand home from the Spanish island.
The Council of Fuerteventura put out a reminder for residents and tourists about the laws on sand removal.
It is forbidden to remove natural materials from the island’s beaches including shells, stones and sand.
Every year, airport authorities are forced to return thousands of kilos of stolen sand to the beach.
Items are confiscated at the airport by the Civil Guard and then expert staff have to identify where it came from.
READ MORE: Pilot shares common mistake passengers make ‘reducing survival’
The most commonly stolen item is sand. Many tourists visit Fuerteventura to see its beautiful beaches.
Removing sand from the beach can have a major impact on the island’s natural environment.
In 2019, officials became exasperated at the number of tourists removing sand from Fuerteventura’s ‘popcorn’ beach.
The unusual beach is covered in fossilized algae which resembles thousands of pieces of fluffy popcorn.
DON’T MISS
It is also illegal to remove sand or shells from the beach in the beautiful island of Sardinia in Italy.
In 2020, 41 people were caught trying to steal sand from the islands and faced fines of 3,000 euros (£2,539).
Police even use X-rays to detect stolen sand in tourists’ luggage during airport custom checks.
White sand is particularly in demand while special types of fossils such as the ‘popcorn’ are also commonly stolen.
