Waves of fear

Here’s a fun task to transport you to a happy place: which words do you think best describe the British seaside? Mine are: pasties, surfing and lazy sunbathing. It’s a personal response and my list is almost entirely defined by the fact that I live in the West Country. But I bet that – wherever you are imagining yourself – the imagery and words that come to mind are generally positive.

Now what about these: fear, slavery, greed, torture. These are words that used to be linked with the coast. And the unsavoury list goes on and on: predators, corruption, cruelty, deceit, betrayal, murder. Do not be deceived when you sit in your deckchair safely watching the gulls circle overhead, for the British coast used to be a place of acute danger.