Jersey conservationists concerned about pandemic plastic pollution

Tracy Vibert has been cleaning Jersey's beaches for 25 years and says she is finding "a lot more" face masks

Conservationists in Jersey are concerned about the effects litter connected to the pandemic is having on the environment.

They say there are large numbers of face masks and rubber gloves blowing into the sea around the island.

Kevin McIlwee from Jersey Marine Conservation said he was especially concerned by items being found on the seabed.

He said rubbish is being dropped on land which can then easily blow into the sea.

He said: "Working gloves, plastic bags, can fill up with water and seep down to the seabed.

"So it's not just what we see on the surface it's actually items that are actually on the seabed itself.

"They're particularly disturbing because they're going to go very quickly into the food chain."

Ms Vibert uses some of her beach finds for outdoor decorations

Tracy Vibert has been cleaning the island's beaches for about 25 years and said she is finding "a lot more" face masks entangled in seaweed.

What began as beachcombing gradually turned into beach cleaning.

"We were considered strange, weird, even got asked if we were doing community service because a lady couldn't understand why we were picking somebody else's rubbish up," she told BBC Channel Islands.

Ms Vibert says attitudes towards her hobby have changed over the years and that more people are picking their rubbish up since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

She said: "With the pandemic, people are spending a lot more time on the island and they're seeing Jersey in a different light.

"It's becoming more popular and acceptable to pick up rubbish now which is a good thing."