To be fair to the Council it only takes a matter of a few hours if the conditions are unsuitable for a massive invasion of sand. The conditions are a very strong wind in exactly the "wrong" direction and a very low tide. Get these two in an area subject to suffering from sand and you have trouble.
I remember a good few years ago, probably about 40, when Sandy Cove (now you know why it got its name. Its not a nickname) between Towyn and Kinmel Bay when it was so bad a dozen or more bungalows were more or less impossible to get in or out. It must have been bad, I remember the Mayor from Colwyn Bay being driven down in his chauffeured car to give a (publicity) hand at trying to help residents out. It took only around three hours for the sand to arrive.