Hayle resident Sophie Daniels has launched the petition on change.org pleading for the sand removal to cease immediately. So far it has raised 777 signatures out of a target of 1,000 in four days.

Sophie says in recent times the once tranquil beach had seen tonnes of sand removed “day and night with no thought for the environmental repercussions”.

She said her roots are deeply ingrained in Hayle Beach where she grew up and witnessed the rich bio-diversity of the local ecosystem.

“This is an important area not just for me but for the entire community of Cornwall,” she says. “In recent times, our once tranquil beach is suffering as tonnes of sand are removed day and night, sold for profit with no thought of the environmental repercussions.

“Authorities justify the mining, claiming it is necessary for keeping the channel clear for fishermen. But the reality is clearly different. Excavation is taking place on the beach, far from the central channel they declare to keep clear.”

In her petition statement she said the night time operations disrupt the peace and pose a risk to children’s safety on the beach.

“Furthermore, it's a serious threat to the delicate ecosystem and local wildlife that call this beach home. The often cited study in the Journal of Coastal Research has consistently shown that sand mining impacts coastal and marine biodiversity and flood defences,” she said.

“This isn't merely about preserving our beach for recreational purposes. It's about safeguarding our ecosystem, our local community, and our future.”

However Hayle harbourmaster Peter Haddock told the Packet that the dredging was a legal requirement to keep the channel into the harbour clear.

He said the sand was being removed for the safety of navigation and was a legal requirement they were required to do. He said it was not being removed just for profit.

“We have to maintain the harbour,” he said. “We have a legal responsibility to maintain a navigational channel, it’s our responsibility under the Hayle Harbour Act.”

He said they had to extract further from the channel as there was a big “lump” of sand that extended out into the navigation channel forcing vessels close to rocks.

“That sand has moved to such an extent that the navigation channel had moved 15 metres in from the edge of the estuary,” he said.

He said people tended to forget that that part of the estuary is actually private, although they turned a blind eye to people swimming there.

Hayle Town Council is due to discuss the removal of the sand at a meeting of the council on Wednesday night.