Tourists fined for taking sand and shells from Sardinia’s beaches

People enjoy one of the beaches of Sardinia (Karl A Ritter/AP)

Dozens of tourists will have to pay dearly for their souvenirs from Sardinia’s pristine beaches.

Customs police on the Mediterranean island have issued fines of up to €3,000 to 41 people who in recent days tried to leave Sardinia with sand, seashells and beach rocks, according to Italian media.

The LaPresse news agency said in some cases tourists had put the beach booty up for sale on the internet, feeding a flourishing, illicit market for such souvenirs, including from resort areas along the Italian island’s Emerald Coast.

Bags of sand, shells and stones were seized at Sardinia’s airports and ports in keeping with a 2017 regional law that established fines ranging from €500 to €3,000.

The seized sand was brought back by authorities to the beaches when possible.

The law aims to prevent the cumulative effect of removing sand and shells by the millions of tourists who flock each year to the Mediterranean island, which is renowned for long stretches of pristine sandy beaches.