Britain’s Beaches Are Left Covered in Litter After Heatwave

Britain’s Beaches Are Left Covered in Litter After Heatwave

It was Britain’s hottest day since records began last Thursday, and as expected, thousands flocked to the coast to cool off.

In the days following the heatwave, pictures emerged of piles of discarded litter blighting some of our most loved beaches. Among the litter, there were beer bottles, plastic carrier bags, crisp packets ,drink cans, and even dirty nappies.

Marine conservation charities voice concerns over beach litter

Marine conservation charities have warned that there has been a huge rise in litter on our beaches in the past 25 years, and now a staggering 12 million tonnes of rubbish ends up in our oceans every single year. They are now urging people who go to the beach to ‘leave nothing behind but their footprints.’

The worst hit beaches

Among the worst hit beaches, was Blackpool, where a young boy was pictured kneeling down beside piles of litter that had been left behind by visitors trying to cool off.

Southend-on-Sea, in Essex, didn’t fare much better, with plastic and glass waste left on the shoreline, posing a threat to wildlife as well as local residents.

Other badly hit beaches were Margate in Kent, Tynemouth in Tyne and Wear, and Musselburgh in East Lothian.

A spokesperson for the ‘Love My Beach’ Campaign said it was heart-breaking to see the state that Blackpool beach had been left in. She added that the campaign’s volunteers work tirelessly to keep beaches in the area clean and it’s terrible to see them being treated like this.

The public should ‘do their bit’

A spokesperson for Blackpool Council said the beach is ordinarily immaculate and pointed out that there are 250 bins along the promenade as well as teams of street cleaning staff who work long hours emptying them. She added that the public have to do their bit and refrain from dropping litter.

Other councils, including Southend-on-Sea, said they were doing everything they could to tackle beach litter but they can’t be completely successful without the support of the public.

The Marine Conservation Society say that the amount of beach litter being left around our coastlines is completely unacceptable. It added that it’s harming wildlife, and plastic litter in particular is being found in the stomachs of turtles, sea birds, whales, and dolphins. The charity said its message to beach-goers is to leave nothing behind but their footprints, and if they do take plastic onto the beach, they shouldn’t leave it there, it should be disposed of responsibly.