A storm has been brewing on Gwynn’s Island over beach rights at Tin Can Alley, the traditional name for the beach at the end of Old Ferry Road, and Mathews County has released a statement seeking to clarify its position on the matter.

Mark and Candy Eubank, who own the property adjacent to the north side of the end of Old Ferry Road, claim shared ownership of the beach with the Cheeks, whose property lies on the beach’s south side. The county, however, asserts that there is a 45-foot-wide prescriptive public easement to the beach at the site.

“While this relatively small area will not accommodate large numbers of visitors at any one time,” said Mathews County Administrator Mindy Conner in a published statement, “the public has a right to use and enjoy this access site.”

According to County Attorney Andrew R. McRoberts of Sands Anderson, a 30-foot easement was granted by state statute to the Virginia Department of Transportation for a right of way ...