A CONCERNED resident is calling for action over kites being ‘dumped’ in Morecambe Bay.

Edward Mudd, 48, who lives in Newbiggin, says that since the loosening of Covid-19 restrictions kite fliers have been descending upon the beach and leaving a large amount of waste.

He believes that the issue stems from a large group of kite fliers who arrive from outside of the area, recalling seeing branded taxis from Bradford, Leeds and Halifax.

The group are said to fly kites from as early as 8am through to 6pm.

“The kites have a tendency to fight each other which is part of the Hindu and Sikh religion, from what I’m led to believe, and then they get tangled up,” said Edward.

“When we went out onto the sands on Sunday about 300 yards out was 10 to 15 kite bamboo frames, a couple hundred feet apart, all intertwined together. It took me and a friend from the village about 20 minutes to haul it in.

“There was one twine of cabling that I picked up that had 13 different sets of kite wire involved in it – that’s 13 different kites up at any one time and these lengths of cable go on for miles and miles. We reckon there’s 20 miles or more of cabling that has been dumped in the sea.

“We have this lovely little beach at Newbiggin and they just come down, fly the kites and then dump the mess in the water and disappear.

“Us as residents have had enough of it.”

Edward is concerned about the environmental impact of the kites and the potential danger posed to wildlife.

“It’s just ridiculous,” said Edward. “We have wildlife down there, windsurfers, kids go swimming in the sea.

“It’s just a fear of wildlife, dogs, or anything else, getting entwined in kite wire and struggling. The environmental impact is immense and it is littering on a massive scale.”

Mr Mudd says he has been in contact with Cllr Ben Cooper and intends to attend a parish council meeting next month to raise the issue.

He has also contacted the RSPCA and the British Divers Marine Life Rescue for advice.