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Why Stacey Solomon risked a £1000 fine over taking pebbles from beach

Singer Stacey Solomon poses for photographers on arrival at the premiere of the film 'Peter Rabbit', in London, Sunday, March 11, 2018. (Photo by Grant Pollard/Invision/AP)
Stacey Solomon accidentally broke the law by taking pebbles home from the beach. (AP)

Stacey Solomon risked a £1000 fine after taking home pebbles from a Devon beach as a souvenir.

The Loose Women presenter has made a sculpture out of the stones she brought home from a beach in Sidmouth as a memento of a day out with her family which she shared with her 3.6 million Instagram followers.

Solomon captioned the footage of herself making the ‘pebble family’: “Watch out pebble police, it’s happening. Pebble memory here we come.”

The 30-year-old mother-of-three and craft lover had previously considered driving back to the beach she visited with partner Joe Swash and her son Rex to return the rocks, after her Instagram followers warned her taking pebbles from UK beaches is in fact illegal.

Read more: Stacey Solomon gets baby Rex his own dog bed

Stacey Solomon made her rock family from pebbles she collected at a UK beach. (Instagram)
Stacey Solomon made her rock family from pebbles she collected at a UK beach. (Instagram)

Under the Coastal Protection Act 1949, the removal of any natural material such as sand and pebbles from public beaches in the UK is against the law.

These regulation can be enforced by local councils, with offenders facing penalty fines of up to £1,000.

Solomon had previously shared a video of herself saying: “A few of you are messaging me saying 'be careful Stace you can get arrested taking pebbles off a beach'.

"Well that's a bummer, I just spent like two hours collecting them bad boys.

"We're going to have to take them back bubs, we have to it's illegal. I'm not getting arrested by the pebble police on my holidays - I've got work tomorrow."

But the TV presenter and singer later revealed she had called the local authority to check if she had accidentally broken the law.

She revealed: "Just called the local heritage coast centre and they said where we were fossil hunting it is 100 per cent okay to say some home, as long as you don't have a wheelbarrow full or find a massive one.

"Wahoo, I wondered why they hired hammers out.”

Read more: Stacey Solomon shoots down Joe Swash split speculation

Stacey Solomon created the pebble family to remember her day out at the beach. (Instagram)
Stacey Solomon created the pebble family to remember her day out at the beach. (Instagram)

Last year, a tourist was forced to drive hundreds of miles back to Crackington Haven beach, Cornwall to return pebbles they had collected during their holiday.

Pebble theft is is so common in the area that Cornwall Council, which owns 57 of the county’s beaches, have put up warning signs informing visitors of the law.

Solmon shares one-year-old son Rex with Swash, and is also mother to Zachary, 12, and Leighton, eight, from a previous relationship. Swash also has a 12-year-old son Harry.