Beaches on Scotland’s ‘Hawaii of the North’ at risk after sand stolen – The Telegraph

The sands of Tràigh Baile a' Mhuilinn (by Rob Farrow CC BY-SA 2.0 via geograph.org).

With its stunning white crystal sands, it is known as “Hawaii of the North”. But beachcombers are said to be removing the famous sands of Tiree in the Hebrides on an industrial scale. Landowner Argyll Estates suspects sand is being “stolen” by “greedy” islanders under cover of darkness. Reports also suggest that it is “the more affluent residents” who are involved “so the reasons for this may not always be hardship but perhaps greed…”