MORE than 120 people volunteered to support Plastic Free Communities in three beach cleans along the West Somerset coast.

Led by local Plastic Free Communities, the gatherings took place on Dunster, Minehead and Watchet beaches across two weekends on September 21-22 and September 28.

Volunteers at the Watchet Beach Clean (Photo: Marine Conservation Society)
Volunteers at the Watchet Beach Clean (Photo: Marine Conservation Society) ((Photo: Marine Conservation Society))

Volunteers experienced severe wet weather for the first weekend, with improved conditions in Watchet where a variety of items were collected, including a lampshade, bike parts, a mattress and a toy car.

The beach cleans were part of the Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean, the Severn Estuary Big Beach Clean and the Surfers Against Sewage Million Mile Clean.

At each of the beach cleans, a 100m stretch of beach was surveyed in depth with all the debris being recorded and weighed, and the results submitted to the national database held by the Marine Conservation Society.

This database provides an annual overview of the state of the coastline around the United Kingdom, with the information being used to inform the charities’ future conservation work and provide evidence for campaigns that will have a positive impact on oceans.

In all three beach cleans the surveys found that between 80 and 90 per cent of the items collected were made of plastic or polystyrene.

Some of the litter and debris collected and sorted ready for recycling at the Minehead Beach Clean (Photo: Marine Conservation Society)
Some of the litter and debris collected and sorted ready for recycling at the Minehead Beach Clean (Photo: Marine Conservation Society) ((Photo: Marine Conservation Society))

A spokesperson for Plastic Free Communities in West Somerset and Exmoor said: “We are delighted to have been able to lead these Great British Beach Clean events and to have been able to support the work done by the Marine Conservation Society.

“The amount and variety of plastic items found on all three beach cleans demonstrates the huge impact that plastic waste is having on our coasts, countryside and communities, and should encourage us all to do what we can to reduce our use of single-use plastics.

“We would like to thank all those people who gave up their time to volunteer at these events and to help us turn the tide on single-use plastics.”

More information about Plastic Free Communities in West Somerset and future beach cleans can be found on their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/plasticfreecommunitieswestsomerset