TRADITIONAL summertime seaside pastimes for children are dying out, according to car company Chevrolet.
Although youngsters are still driven to the beach for days out during the summer holidays, few of them experience the same entertainments as their parents did when they were young.
Research among more than 1,000 parents suggests that a third of today's youngsters have never experienced a Punch & Judy show, in sharp contrast to their parents of whom more than three quarters have.
This is partly because of political correctness and complaints that the puppets engage in too much violence. Donkey rides are largely a thing of the past because of fears that children could fall off and injure themselves, resulting in compensation claims that would bankrupt the donkey operatives.
The same applies to creative sandcastle building and sculpting, which is also outlawed on many beaches by health and safety officials who fear that any youngsters who injure themselves could sue the local authority for allowing them to do it.
Chevrolet says it regrets the demise of such seaside activities and has created a custom-made Punch & Judy booth for the side of its Captiva model to entertain children by touring beaches nationwide.
The research revealed that other traditional beach entertainment is also in decline with 41 per cent of today's children never having been on a donkey ride compared to just 26 per cent of their parents.
Three quarters say they have never taken part in a sandcastle competition.
The car company says that the cost of a day at the seaside is also too great for some people.
Chevrolet spokeswoman Susan Kalair says: `` Families will take at least three trips to the British seaside this summer but with a day's beach entertainment costing an average of £73 it could be an expensive outing.
'Parents are feeling the financial pinch more than most this summer so it's a shame to see traditional, value for money entertainment disappearing from our beaches.
``Hopefully our specially-created mobile Punch & Judy car will bring back fond memories for parents and create new ones for the huge number of children who have never even seen the show.''
The ten least expensive coastlines, based on how much is spent on keeping a family entertained in the same way for a day are: