Half a tonne of litter found after fireworks display

More than 400kg of litter was collected in just one hour by volunteers in Porthcawl on Wednesday morning

A litter picking group say they cleaned up almost half a tonne of rubbish from a popular beach after a firework display took place.

The Porthcawl Wombles group picked up 433kg of rubbish on Wednesday, which is almost three times what they usually find on Coney Beach.

Volunteer Liv Waldock, 29, from Porthcawl, Bridgend county, said it was "absolutely crazy" to see the rubbish covering not just the beach, but the "streets around it".

"The amount of rubbish that was just left on the beach with absolutely no intention to be put near or in a bin... I don't know if it's a lack of awareness or just a lack of care for the environment."

Volunteers were shocked to find nearly three times their usual rubbish haul this week

"The fireworks are on every year through the summer in Porthcawl. It's basically for the school holidays," explained Ms Waldock.

"This time we were prepared for the rubbish because we saw it all last year."

She said "a mix of a few things" contributed to the extra mess, including a lack of bins and "huge lack of respect from members of the general public".

The fireworks displays, run by Coney Beach amusement park and The Hi Tide Inn, are advertised as being "set off after dark" and take place every Tuesday evening throughout the school summer holidays.

Ms Waldock said the Wombles group was "just a community of us that enjoy using the beach".

The Hi Tide Inn said it worked alongside beach cleaners in the summer, and that it was "equally saddened by the quantity of rubbish left behind on public beaches", calling for more bins to be provided.

They added Porthcawl had been "extremely busy" during the heatwave earlier in the week.

"Sadly not all visitors and members of the public take accountability for the waste that they produce. Therefore our cleaning team, in collaboration with local volunteer groups, work tirelessly to remove waste and get the surrounding areas clean and tidy for the following day's visitors," they said.

The Porthcawl Wombles group is made up of local volunteers who "just enjoy using the beach"

"We know that the local businesses don't have the capacity [to litter pick]," Ms Waldock said.

"We decided that it was a good idea to do it every Wednesday morning. We've been doing it every week for the whole summer so far but on average we've probably collected about 150 kg on those mornings."

She said sharing their particularly large haul this week on social media prompted "a lot of anger and frustration from people", adding: "It's just whether we're reaching the right people and whether it will change their mindset and attitude."

The Welsh government, which owns the beach, said it worked "closely with local authorities and others to protect and maintain these areas for our communities to enjoy".

"We have provided Keep Wales Tidy with further funding to coordinate volunteer clean-up activities, monitor litter levels and deliver positive behaviour change campaigns right across the country," it added.

"Under the terms of the lease with the Welsh government, the funfair operator has responsibility for keeping the beach clean and tidy."

Leaseholders Coney Beach amusement park have also been asked for comment on any action being taken to address the litter issue.