More than 100 volunteers turned up to help with a clean up of the beach at the end of October, and they collected around 160kg of litter.

The mass litter pick was organised by the Weston Mercury as part of its Cleaner Coastlines campaign, with the help of Weston Chamber of Commerce and North Somerset Council, and it was a real success. The campaign wants to achieve a plastic-free coastline status for local beaches in association with Surfers Against Sewage. The damage caused to sealife as a result of the huge amount of waste plastic in the sea is enormous and is getting worse.

Councillor Robert Payne who was one of those collecting litter said: “As a coastal community, we have a special responsibility towards the sea. I want people to enjoy the beach at Weston, but it’s simply no longer acceptable to leave rubbish behind, particularly plastics which do not degrade and can be so devastating to wildlife.”