Volunteers flock to Dorset Beach Clean (From Thisisdorset)

Volunteers flock to Dorset Beach Clean

11:30am Monday 17th September 2012 in Latest By Martin Lea

VOLUNTEERS helped to turn the tide on litter as they hit the shores for the Great Dorset Beach Clean.

The annual event, part of a national drive to monitor marine litter and keep the coastline clean, saw helpers grab bags and tackle litter at different spots.

It is organised by Dorset County Council’s coastal ranger team and supports the Litter Free Coast and Sea campaign.

The team organises two big beach clean events every year and the last one saw more than 600 bags of litter collected – including plastics, beach party debris, items that had been fly- tipped, tyres and other rubbish.

Yesterday was a similar story with fishing gear, rope, plastic bottles and tins swept up.

This includes litter from the sea and rubbish left by beachgoers.

As well as the council-run tidy-ups Dorset Wildlife Trust organised its annual Worbarrow Bay beach clean which provides an opportunity for people to combine a scenic walk along the shore while keeping the area safe for animals and birds.

Diving enthusiast Sue Fuller was among the volunteers who helped out in the clean-up event at Chesil Cove on Portland .

She said: “There was an enormous amount of commercial fishing tackle to be cleaned up as well as plastic bottles and tins and bits of ordinary fishing tackle like lead weights.

“The amount of plastic we picked up was huge.

“The trouble is it goes round and round in the sea until it lands somewhere.

“The litter is harmful to marine life and bird life as well as being unsightly.

“You tend to get a lot of stuff washed up along Chesil Beach because of the prevailing winds.”

All beach monitoring will be forwarded to the Marine Conservation Society in support of the international anti-marine pollution initiative.