Beach detecting after storms: why scoured beaches pay, and the rules

Every winter, detectorists watch the storm warnings and plan a trip to the coast. The idea is simple. Big seas move sand. Move enough of it and old surfaces, and what’s on them, come back within reach.

Sometimes it works. Sometimes the sea dumps sand instead. And the same storm that clears a beach can make it dangerous.

What a storm does to a beach

Waves move sand and gravel. A big storm can move a lot of it fast.

In January 2026, Storm Ingrid hit south Devon. University of Plymouth researchers measured the beaches at Torcross and Slapton afterwards and found them about 2 m lower, BBC News reported. Professor Gerd Masselink called it “the biggest change that’s happened here in the last 10 years”. He also said the beach had fallen about 6 m over roughly 20 years.

But sand doesn’t vanish. It goes somewhere. The same BBC page links to another of its reports, headlined “Pebbly Sussex beach turns sandy after winter storms”. One beach’s scour is another’s new sand.

What a scoured beach can expose

Strip the soft sand and you may reach older, harder layers. Clay, peat, old land surfaces, timbers.

That winter, according to Archaeology Magazine, storms stripped sand from the dunes at Lunan Bay near Montrose. According to the report, two dog walkers spotted footprints in the clay underneath, and a University of Aberdeen team dated the surface to around 2,000 years ago, in the late Iron Age, with prints of red deer, roe deer and barefoot people.

The team had to work fast. According to Archaeology Magazine, the exposed clay had gone within 48 hours.

That’s the lesson for detectorists. What a storm exposes, the next tide can take. If you see something like this, photograph it, note the location and report it. The CITiZAN network, run by MOLA, works with volunteers to record coastal archaeology at risk from the sea.

Where to look

Storm scour is patchy. We can’t promise where finds will be. But some simple checks help:

• Compare with your last visit. Rocks you haven’t seen before, taller-looking groynes, or a new step in the beach can all suggest sand has gone.
• Look for the hard layer. On Crown Estate foreshore you may only search the surface above it (see below).
• Work the low-water side on a falling tide, as long as you know when it turns.

The rules don’t change in a storm

Surface only on Crown Estate foreshore

The Crown Estate manages around half the foreshore in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its terms allow detecting there, but:

• You may only investigate the surface, “not excavate into the hard pack sub-surface”.
• No mechanical tools for digging.
• Fill every hole, however small.

The reason given is to keep “the archaeological integrity of any embedded find”. After a storm, that hard pack may be exactly what’s exposed. Leave it alone.

The PAS Code of Practice says the same thing in general terms: avoid damaging stratified archaeological deposits.

Reporting

The Crown Estate requires archaeological finds to be reported to the Portable Antiquities Scheme. Treasure follows the usual law; see what counts as Treasure.

Storms also throw up wreck. Material from a ship, aircraft or hovercraft, or its cargo or equipment, must be reported to the Receiver of Wreck within 28 days, GOV.UK says. Our UK beaches guide has the full rules, including Scotland and the Thames.

Safety

Storms make beaches more dangerous, not less.

• Check the tides first. The Crown Estate’s terms warn that the foreshore “can be a dangerous place” and that tides can generate strong currents.
• Wait for the weather and the sea to calm down before you go.
• Keep away from cliff edges and cliff bases after heavy weather.
• Ordnance. Storms can uncover old munitions. The PAS Code of Practice says to call the police or HM Coastguard and tell the landowner if you find anything that may be a live explosive. Do not move it or interfere with it.
• Tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back.

In an emergency at the coast, call 999.

New to detecting? Start with our beginner’s detector guide. The beach is one place where a waterproof machine earns its keep.

FAQ

Is metal detecting better after a storm?

It can be. Storm waves can strip sand from a beach and drop it lower. In January 2026, University of Plymouth researchers measured beaches at Torcross and Slapton about 2 m lower after Storm Ingrid. Less sand can mean older surfaces, and anything lying on them, come within range. But storms move sand both ways; BBC News also reported a pebbly Sussex beach turning sandy after the same winter's storms.

Can I dig into clay or peat exposed by a storm?

On Crown Estate foreshore, no. Its terms let you investigate only the surface, not the hard-pack sub-surface, so that the archaeology of embedded finds is kept. The PAS Code of Practice also says to avoid damaging stratified archaeological deposits. If a storm exposes old land surfaces, timbers or footprints, photograph them and report them.

What should I do if I find ordnance on the beach?

Don't move or touch it. The PAS Code of Practice says to call the police or HM Coastguard and tell the landowner if you find anything that may be a live explosive, device or other ordnance.

Do I need permission to detect on a beach?

Yes, from whoever owns the foreshore. Much of it is Crown Estate land, which allows detecting under its published terms. Councils, private owners, the Port of London Authority and Crown Estate Scotland have their own rules. Our UK beaches guide covers them.

When is the safest time to detect after a storm?

After the weather has eased, on a falling tide, with tide times checked first. The Crown Estate's terms say the foreshore can be dangerous, that you should check tide times, and that tides can create strong currents.

Sources

Every figure in this guide comes from one of these. We checked each one on 1 November 2026.

1. BBC News, “How winter storms are reshaping the Devon and Cornwall coastline”, 31 January 2026. www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c701yz8xe51o
2. Archaeology Magazine, “2,000-year-old human and animal footprints discovered at Lunan Bay, Scotland”, 20 February 2026. archaeologymag.com/2026/02/2000-year-old-footprints-at-lunan-bay/
3. MOLA, “CITiZAN (Coastal and Intertidal Zone Archaeological Network)”. www.mola.org.uk/discoveries/research-projects/citizan-coastal-and-intertidal-zone-archaeological-network
4. The Crown Estate, “Metal detecting & drone flying”. www.thecrownestate.co.uk/our-business/marine/coastal
5. The Crown Estate, Terms and Conditions for metal detecting and mud-larking on The Crown Estate foreshore (22 January 2024). www.datocms-assets.com/136653/1720790091-terms-and-conditions-of-metal-detecting-2024.pdf
6. Portable Antiquities Scheme, Code of Practice for Responsible Metal Detecting. finds.org.uk/guides/detecting-guidance/code-of-practice-for-responsible-metal-detecting
7. GOV.UK, “Report wreck material”. www.gov.uk/report-wreck-material