A set of 'problem' sand dunes could be brought under control for good thanks to the efforts of a local community.
The dunes in Porthtowan on the north Cornwall coast have been identified as requiring urgent management after winds regularly disperse them around the village, into homes and scatter the sand across green areas and roads.
Cornwall Councillor Joyce Duffin said the problem had been getting worse in recent years.
"The minute we get some windy weather, the sand is blown all over the place," she said.
"It never used to be so bad. In the 1980s the sand dunes seemed to stabilise and I think there was a good management programme in place.
"But over the years that seems to have disappeared and that's when all the problems started."
A spell of windy weather recently sent sand from the dunes covering an amenity area known as The Green recently, she said.
Drivers coming down or preparing the ascend the steep slope near the beach also have to contend with masses of sand gathered on the road.
The swirling sand had also caused problems for emergency services, added Coun Duffin.
"When it gets windy, the sand blows over the road and covers up the yellow lines on one of the road accesses to the beach. This means people park on a road which the emergency services use."
The sand dunes at Porthtowan have always been on the move and old photographs of the village show the coastline in a constant state of flux.
Some residents believe that debris from the Torrey Canyon wreck in 1967 washed up on the beach and lies beneath the dunes.
Councillor Duffin said that during a particularly bad spell of weather last year she spotted decades' old fencing which had been exposed because the sand had been blown away.
"It was really dangerous," she said.
The Porthtowan Dunes Group has now been formed to bring the community together and find a way of managing the coastline.
Councillor Duffin said a recent community event, which included a 'pebble poll' allowing local people to vote for their favourite plan of action, was well attended. She said some people had called for the dunes to be dug up and moved from Porthtowan altogether, but she believed this was a minority view.
"I feel that most people think the sand dunes are a very special part of Porthtowan and they want to preserve them.
"I think people just want to find the best of managing the dunes so they are not dangerous, whether that's limiting access at some parts of the year or planting grasses or putting in fences."
The results of the community day will be discussed at a meeting in Porthtowan on March 6.
