Coastal litter pickers find 101 dog waste bags on walk

Hannah Beaumont said the discovery of the large amount of rubbish "crushes me"

More than 100 plastic bags containing dog waste have been found in a single litter pick in Devon, volunteers say.

The Me and The Plastic Sea group also found masks, cans and wrappers during the pick in the Brixham area on Sunday.

Hannah Beaumont, from the group, said on Facebook that the discovery of the items, including the 101 dog waste bags, "crushes me'.

She and other volunteer litter pickers in the county have asked people to take their rubbish home.

As well as the 101 dog waste bags, Ms Beaumont and a friend found:

• More than 40 wrappers

• 14 cans

• Eight glass bottles

• Six plastic cups and bottles

• Four balls

• Two toys

• Two masks

They said that selection was "just the stuff we were brave enough to fish out from the bag at the end [while] wearing gloves".

Another group, the Community Roadside Action Party, has been encouraging people to adopt a stretch of verge or area near them and to litter pick it regularly.

It made its first appeal about a month ago and more than 500 people across the county have now said they would join, it said.

The 101 bags of dog waste were found in the Brixham area

Clare Tyson, who started the group, said it was "puzzling" why "people can't wait five minutes to get rid of their crisp packs or whatever, to put (them) in a bin".

She said: "It harms wildlife, it saddens people, it angers people. But just a conversation round the kitchen table can start people talking."

She did, however, say that pickers had also successfully reunited lost objects with owners.

She said: "Somebody found a purse recently, and inside was a silver bracelet and an address. That was reunited with the owner.

"If the place looks clean, people are less inclined to drop litter in the first place."