Police have warned parents after a crowd of between 80 and 100 young people caused trouble at Llansteffan beach and castle on Saturday night — drinking, littering and climbing the walls of the Grade I listed monument.
Police have threatened to impose a dispersal order at Llansteffan after up to 100 youths descended on the village’s beach and castle on Saturday night.
Officers from the Carmarthen neighbourhood policing team said they were made aware of a group of between 80 and 100 young people at the beach and castle area on Saturday (4 July).
The group were causing anti-social behaviour by drinking, littering and climbing the castle walls, Dyfed-Powys Police said.
The behaviour caused distress to members of the public, according to the force.
Police issued a direct warning to parents dropping their children off in the area — saying any offences reported or witnessed will be dealt with by officers and other relevant agencies.
That includes parents knowingly buying alcohol for their children to take to the location, the force said.
“We will not tolerate this behaviour and want our beaches and castles to be places that families can all visit throughout the summer,” the force said in a statement.
Officers warned that if the behaviour continues, they will look to put a Section 34 dispersal order in place.
The power, under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, allows a senior officer to authorise a dispersal zone — with officers then able to direct people to leave the area and ban them from returning for up to 48 hours.
Failing to comply with a direction to leave is a criminal offence and can lead to arrest.
Llansteffan Castle is a Grade I listed monument in the care of Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service, with its earliest fortifications dating to the 12th century.
Perched on a headland overlooking the Tywi estuary, the castle and the beach below draw thousands of visitors each summer.
It is the second time this summer the castle has found itself at the centre of police attention — offensive graffiti was sprayed across the walls of the North Tower and East Bastion in May.
The force’s Rural Crime Team treats damage of that kind as heritage crime — handled with the same seriousness as criminal damage anywhere else — and its appeal over the graffiti, believed daubed between 1 and 10 May, remains open.
Anyone witnessing offences at the site can report them to Dyfed-Powys Police online or by calling 101 — or 999 if a crime is in progress.
