Beach clean-up begins in Cornwall

Beach cleaning at Watergate Bay, Newquay Credit: ITV Westcountry

A three day event to clear up some of Cornwall's beaches has begun at Watergate Bay in Cornwall. The event is taking place from the 14th to 17th September and is organised by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). Last year 335 beaches were cleaned across the UK by almost 4,500 Beachwatch volunteers.

During the event, volunteer litter pickers will clean up and record the rubbish they find, as part of the International Coastal Cleanup which takes place in over 100 countries and regions worldwide.

After last years Beachwatch Big Weekend MCS data revealed a sharp rise in the amount of dog poo found in poop-scoop bags on beaches as well as an increase in small plastic pieces and bottle tops and lids.

Among the items found on UK beaches during last September's Beachwatch Big Weekend was an almost life size fake donkey, a portable toilet, a roadside bollard, a plastic skeleton and a Smartie tube lid from the 1970's.