Over 5,000 tonnes of sand will be brought into cars from the beach this year – study

More than 5,000 tonnes of sand will find its way into cars following trips to the beach this year, a new survey has discovered.

In total, 5,243 tonnes – the same weight as 1,747 ice-cream vans – will end up inside vehicles as drivers and families spend time at the beach, insurance provider Direct Line discovered.

Firstly, the insurance provider asked 10 families to visit beaches across the UK in July 2024 – with a freshly valeted car. Then, the cars were measured to see how much sand had crept in and found an average of 94g of sand had ended up in the back of every vehicle.

Then a total of 2,000 UK adults between July 30 and August 2 were asked about their travel plans this summer. It found that 69 per cent will be travelling to the beach by car and that 31 million Brits will be or planning to visit a sandy UK beach this year.

The top culprits of getting too much sand in cars were shoes and clothing at 47 per cent, followed by towels and buckets at 24 per cent, the kids at 19 per cent and finally the dog at 16 per cent.

Gunnar Peters, product Manager for Direct Line Motor Insurance, said: “A trip to the seaside is a fixture in British summers for many of us – whatever the weather. Whilst the beach is fun on the day, I’m sure most of us would prefer it to stay there. Sand is a tricky substance that can be difficult to remove despite best efforts and it’s no wonder many continue to find it days, weeks and even months later.”

Furthermore, the research also looked into which cities have the most residents planning journeys to the beach in the UK. Leeds came up on top with 64 per cent of its population, followed in joint second by Manchester and Sheffield at 62 per cent and then joint third with Glasgow and London at 61 per cent.