Message in bottle 'beach hazard'

Stuart Conway said he even uses bottles to send messages to God

A man who runs a message in a bottle service for romantics has run into trouble with his local council.

Brighton and Hove City Council in East Sussex has warned Stuart Conway that he may be putting bathers in danger.

The Hove man has thrown 7,000 bottles from Brighton Pier in 10 years, all bearing messages logged on his website.

The council fears someone could be hurt if broken glass washes up on the beach but Mr Conway said he only launches the bottles when they will wash out to sea.

"Some of them are effectively prayers - they are writing down a wish - and some of them are explicitly prayers," he said.

Mr Conway is adamant that he will continue to provide the service until someone convinces him that he is doing any harm.

But the council said: "We would suggest that Mr Conway recycles his bottles and investigates some of the many other ways to send messages overseas."