The municipality of Cabras has enrolled eight young volunteers to guard its precious shores, in response to fears that Sardinia’s beaches could disappear if sand continues to be stolen.
The volunteers patrol almost four miles of coastline and beaches, including beautiful tourist hotspots Is Arutas and Mari Ermi.
One helper, Silvia, said: “We try to prevent [them]. But there are also those who pretend not to understand.
“We have been working for a week, and so far everything is OK.
“Those who are surprised with full bags immediately return the sand.”
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The volunteers are all between the ages of 18 and 25.
German tourists have already been single out as stubborn sand thieves.
One volunteer said: ““We had signs printed with bans. We are kind, but if we meet someone arrogant, we empty their bags.
“If they refuse, we call the foresters and get them fined. The most stubborn are the Germans.
“We have seen these beaches as children. We hike, rent rubber boats and if someone damages them, it also damages us.”
The German embassy in Rome recently warned holidaymakers against stealing Sardinia’s sand.
Those caught stealing sand can be fined between €500 (£448) and €3,000 (£2,690).
Some of those who take the island’s minerals are unaware that they are committing a crime.
However, the volunteers said many feign ignorance and many Germans – who are said to be the worst offenders – as well as Italians, hide envelopes and plastic bottles containing sand.
People can steal sand easier if they travel by ferry, as they can avoid the metal detectors in airports.
In 2017, more than ten tons of sand, fragments of rocks, shells and limpets were seized at Cagliari, Elmas, Alghero and Olbia airports.
The sand can be sold for a lucrative price, with a few grams on eBay auctioning at a starting value of £9.
Mayor of Cabras, Andrea Abis, said: “Our beaches have formed in tens of thousands of years, they can not be regenerated.
“If the thefts continue the beaches will be lost in a short time.”
Additional reporting by Maria Ortega.