Families who have used an historic campsite for generations are being kicked off - over fears they could be killed by landslips, rockfalls or floods.

People have camped at Sandway Beach near Kingsand and Cawsand in Cornwall for nearly 100 years.

It was first set up by fishermen in the 1930s who used bell tents on the beach which have since been replaced by canvas and PVC huts.

But campers who use the Rame Peninsula facility - some who can trace family history there for five generations - are "gutted" it might closed over safety fears."

Officials have asked them to "vacate the land immediately due to the risks of immediate danger/death" from flooding, rockfalls and landslips."

Cornwall and Plymouth City Councils that own and manage the beach have said they will not renew the campsite's licence over safety concerns.

Families and members of the Sandways Campers Association say they are now being told they are trespassing

The safety concerns raised and confirmed by the Environment Agency, are increasing landslips from the rocks above.

Officials also say the camp site does not have sufficient escape routes if the tide rises high enough and floods the beach.

A petition has even been launched by local Kay Mabin, in a bid to urge the local authorities to preserve the "irreplaceable cultural landmark"."

Kay said the "beloved" campsite has seen its structures passed down through generations - from the "original bell tends of the early 1930s to the more modern canvas and PVC huts of today"."

She explained: "The historical value of this site is not merely in its longevity but in the cultural heritage it represents. "

"Sandway Point has been a sanctuary where lifelong friendships were formed, where children explored the wonders of nature for the first time, and where the gently, lapping waves provided the soundtrack to countless family gatherings and restful nights."

"Losing this beloved site would erase nearly a century of community history and tradition, a detrimental blow not just to camping enthusiasts, but to the very fabric of Kingsand's identity."

Camper Julia Koonde told the BBC: "We learned to fish here and we caught rabbits in the fields and my mum made rabbit stew."

"The material things don't matter when you're here, it's just nice to get away from the rat race."

Rebecca Lingard told the BBC: '"They don't change hands, they don't get rented out, they're used by the families themselves at the weekends and in the summer holidays."

"We want to work with the councils to come to a solution. We understand their concerns.''"

Both Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council granted a lease to the trustees of the Sandway Campsite Association for 15 years from March 2009.

The lease allowed members of the association to erect tents for holiday use only and during intermittent periods of the year on land near Sandway Beach.

But in 2015 Cornwall Council authorised a report which detected risks in relation to the actual stability of the cliff next to the land, and this came to light around March last year when multiple landslides caused rockfall to land close to the tents.

Geotechnical experts reviewed the land's safety and identified the cliff, and the flooding danger, as "risks of immediate danger/death to the occupants"."

As the lease expired on 24 March, 2024, the association's right to occupy the beach expired at that point.

A joint statement by the councils said: "There was also concern that there is no sufficient escape route for the occupants on the beach. "

"If the tide rises high enough and sweeps over the tents, then the beach could well become flooded and the occupants would be trapped; that risk would be even greater if flooding happened overnight whilst the occupants were asleep. "

"The EA has confirmed (very recently) that those risks are still present."

"The lease expired on March 24, 2024 and the association's right to occupy the beach expired at that point. "

"No further lease or licence has been granted to the association or any other party. "

"This means that the members of the association who have been camping on the land after March 24, 2024 have been trespassing."

"Letters and emails were sent by Plymouth City Council between July and October 2024 asking members of the association to vacate the land immediately due to the risks of immediate danger/death to the occupants arising from the landslips and the flooding risks identified by the EA. "

"The land was vacated for a period of time in late 2024/early 2025. "

"However, members of the association have erected tents on the land and have been camping on the land again since April 2024."