THE father of a teenager who fell to his death from a Newquay cliff top has demanded an end to council squabbling over who should foot the £24,000 bill to make the town's cliffs safer.

John Higgins – father of 16-year-old Paddy Higgins who died this summer – has spoken of his frustration after learning that an argument has broken out between Newquay Town Council and Cornwall Council over who should pay to repair and install new fencing.

Cornwall Council is expecting Newquay Town Council to pay 50% of the cost, but the town authority has refused – claiming it is 'double taxation'.

But Mr Higgins, who started an online petition to Downing Street in an attempt to make Newquay a safer place for teenagers, said the dispute needs to end.

"Newquay just needs to be looked at to make it safer for people visiting the town," he said.

"Maybe fencing is not the way forward but there are other things that can be looked at, which would be cheaper.

"Primarily, the easy access in places around Newquay to the beaches and cliff edges should be made safer before more tourists visit the area next summer."

Correspondence between the unitary authority and the town council has been ongoing for the last few months.

The safety issue came up after the deaths of 16-year-old Paddy, who was visiting Newquay with friends in July, and promising rugby player Andrew Curwell, 19, who was found dead at the bottom of Great Western Beach just eight days earlier, on June 28.

Cornwall Council says it would like to see fencing installed around Newquay's cliff edges in order to provide more adequate safety measures – at a cost of £24,000.

Newquay Town Councillor, Patrick Lambshead, said: "It's a knee jerk reaction from Cornwall Council regarding the sad events that took place in the summer.

"Some existing fences do need replacing, but you will see people climbing over the fences despite what anyone tries to do to stop them."

Mayor of Newquay, Cllr John Fitter, said at Wednesday's town council meeting: "No one from Cornwall Council asked anyone from the town council to accompany them while they came to Newquay. I think we need to send a message to Cornwall Council saying this behaviour will not be tolerated.

"What happened to the localism that was meant to come with Cornwall operating under unitary status? This would be double taxation for the people of Newquay and wrong."

Cllr Gary Redman, also speaking at Wednesday's meeting, said: "Fencing the coastline of Newquay will make no difference. I lost my cousin, Dominic Swanson, to the same problem of not realising what you are doing when under the influence of alcohol.

"It doesn't matter if you are from Newquay or Sheffield. Education about the dangers of the cliffs and not fencing is what is needed here to make Newquay safe."

In a statement, Mike East, Cornwall Council's head of environment, said: "We are trying to enhance safety provision in Newquay by maintaining and repairing coastal fences in the town in light of the tragic events this summer – obviously there is a cost attached to that.

"We thought it was appropriate to ask Newquay Town Council, as a stakeholder with a strong interest, to consider making a contribution to the cost of this work being carried out."