Beach clean collects 148kg of rubbish in one hour

Laura Taylor, who works at a hotel, said the beach "generates thousands of visitors"

Volunteers taking part in a resort's biggest beach clean-up have collected more rubbish in just one hour than they did all of last year.

Organisers of the Sea Life Big Blackpool Beach Clean said they collected 148kg (326lb) of litter earlier - more than the 86kg (190lb) they collected in the whole of 2023.

They said 350 people signed up to collect rubbish from a 2.7 mile (4.3km) stretch of the sands covering the whole prom.

"The extent of what we find makes the mind boggle," head of operations Kyle Woodcock said.

"The extent of what we find makes the mind boggle," head of operations Kyle Woodcock said

"We've got all the litter that comes off the coast and goes into the sea and then we've got the litter that's already in the sea washing up on our coastline and that can be anything from bottles to old polystyrene cups," he said.

"Fishing nets are some of the most damaging things we've found.

"The litter was predominantly plastic food packaging, however there were some unusual items too including a scooter and cooking knife."

The organisers said 350 people signed up to collect rubbish

Shelley Davies, from the resort, said: "It's a nice day out helping the community. It's a bit breezy but we live in Blackpool, we're used to this weather."

The 33-year-old volunteered with her two-year-old daughter and said: "I just think it's really important that my daughter learns from an early age that it's important to be clean, picking up the rubbish.

"We look for litter on the street and she says 'put it in the bin' so she knows.

"It's important all round, saving the planet and doing things involving her."

Shelley Davies volunteered with her two-year-old daughter

Laura Taylor who works for a local hotel said: "The beach is on our doorstep so why would we not want to get involved?"

"It generates thousands and thousands of visitors every year, so we need to ensure the beaches are clean, not just for visitors but for conservation projects as well," she added.