Beaches in Cornwall and Devon among the most polluted in the UK
Beaches near Cornwall and Devon’s designated marine protected areas (MPAs) are among the most polluted in the UK, a new scientific study has revealed.
Research by the University of Exeter, Natural England and the Marine Conservation Society found that while beaches in or near England’s MPAs have the same levels of litter as those in unprotected areas, those in Cornwall and Devon had some of the highest levels of shore-based litter.
The study found that plastic was the main form of litter found, and “public littering” the most common identifiable source.
Using data from Marine Conservation Society beach cleans, the study found MPAs in the South East (Kent) and South West (Cornwall and Devon) had the highest levels of shore-based litter.
However it found “no difference” in the amount of man-made litter present inside and outside MPAs.
Sarah Nelms, of the University of Exeter, who led the study, said the research highlighted the need for a “whole-system approach” to tackling marine pollution.
Hazel Selley, a marine specialist from Natural England who commissioned the work, said: “A clean, healthy and biologically diverse marine environment is immensely valuable, for the economy in coastal communities, for our charismatic wildlife and – once we can travel again – for the mental well-being benefits of spending time by the sea".