Diggers needed to clear mountains of rubbish after tidal wave of plastic covers Bali beach

Watch diggers and locals try and clear up mountains of rubbish on Kedonganan beach in Bali

A tidal wave of rubbish has left a normally beautiful beach on Bali covered in plastic, leaving tourists and locals desperately trying to clean it up.

It happened at the Kedonganan beach in the Kuta area of the Indonesian island following a bleak annual event caused by a monsoon.

Pictures show the sandy beach strewn with discarded plastic bottles, cups and packaging, most of which is thought to have landed on Bali from Indonesia's cities due to monsoon winds and rains.

The Southeast Asian nation has a huge marine waste problem, and is ranked as one of the world's biggest contributors of plastic pollution and marine debris.

Around 300 officers and six diggers helped to try and clear the rubbish, alongside a local charity.

Some locals are said to have picked through the plastic for recyclable material, which can be sold for a few dollars.

Six diggers were needed to try and clear the plastic from the shoreline. Credit: FRAFP via EBU

Bali depends on tourists, and the plastic covered beach were not what many visitors had hoped for.

Denis Le Merre, from France said: "I came here because I heard that it was a very nice place to visit, but what I see is all of this plastic. It's a real disaster for me."

"It's impossible to bathe, swim and stay here. I think I will never come back."

Each year mountains of plastic waste washes up on Bali's beaches.

Locals are confident, however, that visitors will return once the rubbish is removed.

Paulina Kaka, who lives in the Kedonganan area, said: "If the trash is cleaned, this place will be more beautiful to see, and more people will come here."

The plastic washed up is thought to have drifted to Bali from Indonesia's cities. Credit: FRAFP via EBU

A local environment agency official said the wave of rubbish on Kedonganan beach is something that happens annually due to the monsoon weather.

But he is are now calling on people to stop littering.

Anak Agung Dalem said: "I call on all people in Indonesia, don't litter in empty lands, don't throw rubbish on cliffs and rivers because it will end up on sea and will arrive at our beautiful beaches."

The wave of rubbish on Kedonganan beach is something that happens annually in the area according to Dalem due to the monsoon weather.

Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, has pledged to reduce marine plastic waste by 70 percent by 2025.

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