Let’s hope that common sense prevails and health secretary Matt Hancock doesn’t have to close all our seaside beaches (in any case an idea about as workable as most others this government comes up with).

In the meantime, he and his colleagues could perhaps try and take steps to stamp out a constant problem on the picturesque beaches of West Cumbria – that of vehicles encroaching and churning up the otherwise peaceful environment (quite often scrambler bikes).

On Thursday gone (yes the scorcher) my wife and I were among dozens (perhaps hundreds) who enjoyed the unbelievable weather on the Solway Firth – in our case just north of Beckfoot.

Cars were sensibly parked; people (including many families with young children) were safely distanced. It was the kind of day when you escaped into the sea to cool off – and many did.

Imagine then what happened early afternoon. A commercial vehicle suddenly appeared from the direction of Beckfoot and drove straight along the beach shingles between two high water marks, fouling the air with fuel fumes, scaring children, dissecting the beach population and disturbing the peace for us all.

I was in the water at the time and by the time I’d got out and returned to the dunes (no need to dry off), the vehicles came back again from the direction of Silloth – with the same results.

Did I say with the same results? No, not quite.

One of the delights we watched for most of the day was a pair of nesting common ringed plovers. These birds nest on the beach shingle in large numbers (even with people around) and their scrape nests are not hard to identify if you sit long enough and observe carefully.

On this vehicle’s return journey, it was driven blindly straight over the nest we were watching. The parent bird on the eggs escaped but the nest and its four eggs didn’t.

Both distressed parents then scampered round for an hour in a futile search for what had been obliterated. Crushed eggs were all that remained.

Judging by the line that this vehicle took, I imagine that many other nests were likewise destroyed.

I don’t need to go on.

Not being a vindictive person, I will refrain from disclosing the gender of the driver of this vehicle and likewise its make, type, registration and distinctive colour scheme.

I don’t know how many breaches of our laws/regulations/bye-laws this type of incursion incurs – but in any case, we can’t expect Cumbria police to post officers permanently on our beautiful beaches to prevent it happening, even though they cracked down hard on the illegal camping/partying/barbecuing in the Lake District s at the weekend.

All I can reiterate (more in hope than expectation) is let’s hope that in future common sense prevails.

Friend of unspoiled beaches

(name and address supplied)