Talks have started over the much maligned Christmas trees stuck into Porthtowan's beach sand dune.

Following a meeting with members of the Porthtowan Dunes Community Group, Jon James, Cornwall Council’s natural environment manager said "interim actions" will be taken in the coming weeks.

Mr James said: "“We are pleased to have had the opportunity to meet with members of the Porthtowan Dunes Community Group to discuss the stabilisation of the dunes. We recognise the concerns which have been expressed over the current situation and welcome the offer from the group to work with the council to agree some interim actions which can be carried out over the next few weeks.

“We are close to receiving approval and funding from the Environment Agency to begin seeking independent expert advice from a specialist company to fully understand what works are required for the long term future and stability of the dune system and to determine the best course of action.

"We appreciate the hard work, time and effort members of the group have put in to preparing their proposed management plan and this will be one of the key sources of information for the company to take into consideration when gathering evidence and formulating their independent assessment for the long term management of the dunes.

“The dune systems play a key role in protecting Cornwall’s coastline and we need to ensure we retain the best level of protection to communities. We look forward to continuing to work with the Porthtowan Dunes Community Group as well as the wider community of Porthtowan to achieve this. “