Fancy a trip to the seaside? Well beware as report out this week says beaches in the north-west of England had almost double the amount of litter per kilometre than the national average at more than 4,000 pieces.
The survey by the Marine Conservation Society found 2013 to be the worst year for rubbish found on beaches than ever before with 2,309 items of litter found on every kilometre cleaned.
The Society says that beaches are becoming coastal dumping grounds and it needs more people to act now and either join a regular beach clean or make lifestyle changes to help stop the litter getting their in the first place.
They were particularly concerned with tiny bits of plastic that have broken off larger items or have been in the sea for possibly decades, becoming smaller and smaller and more dangerous to marine wildlife.
Among the more unusual items found on the beaches were half a TV, a French bullet-proof vest and a pack of bacon, a brass candlestick, some plastic bird feet, a birdcage, a bath plug, half a canoe and a set of dentures.
“This is a disgusting tide of litter which is threatening the safety of beach visitors both human and animal. It’s coming in from the sea, being blown from the land or simply being dumped and dropped. After 20 years of campaigning it’s disheartening that in 2013 we are seeing worse litter levels than ever,” says Lauren Eyles, MCS Beachwatch Officer.
MCS Beachwatch volunteers record where the litter they find comes from to help the charity campaign to stop it getting there in the first place.
MCS will be running beach cleans and surveys around the UK coast this Spring and Autumn, and the charity is calling on the public to take part and make this the biggest year of beach cleans and surveys ever. The first big event will take place at hundreds of beaches between 24th and 30th April. You can find out more and register at www.mcsuk.org/foreverfish
