Do you collect shells from the beach

[Beachcomber24]

Just wondering if many people still love collecting shells from the beach. I've loved collecting & crafting with shells. I've seen a lot of shell crafts for sale in seaside resorts over the years.
I've just read it's illegal & I hadn't thought of the environmental damage it does to the beach if everyone did it.

I collect shells. But only pretty ones, I don’t have carrier bags full. I didn’t know it was illegal. More a calming activity on the beach on holiday. I do pick up sea glass as well.

I did not know it was illegal, but I don't do it (anymore - I did as a child). Apparently it is illegal to take any natural material from beaches, including stones. I wonder how people get away with fossil hunting, eg on the Jurassic Coast?

By the way, I recently found out to my great surprise that it is NOT illegal to pick wildflowers as long as you don't uproot or damage the plant, or pick from the list of endangered species. I thought wild flower picking had been illegal for years.

No, I’m worried about the environmental impact so I admire them put them back. I do collect sea glass though!

I have googled and it seems it’s only illegal on some coastlines?

I think we should leave them instead of turning them into bricabrac. Other creatures need them and they end up as sand.

Thank you.

You aren't supposed to collect stones either. Watched a recent YouTuber saying how she loved to collect beach stones to put in vases - yikes!

I have collected a lot of shells over the years. I don't make crafts out of them, I have them displayed in various containers. I have also bought bags of shells so I wouldn't be able to distinguish which I'd collected or bought

I could return some to the beaches as I have a lot but all the beaches by me pebbly.

I collected them as a child, though stones more than shells as stones don't break when you're bringing them home!
I still keep an eye out for stones with a hole through them whenever I'm on a stony beach as I love those. Not sure its illegal in my country though anyway, at least I can't find anything saying it is, and the right to collect things from nature (like berries, mushrooms, and flowers) are enshrined in law and the only things the law forbids is lichen, moss and fallen wood from private land. No mention of shells or stones.