Victoria Road Beach: More than 70 volunteers help clean up coastline

More than five tonnes of waste has been removed from the beach over the last decade

More than 70 volunteers have gathered to clean up the coastline as part of an initiative to stop litter reaching the ocean.

The volunteers united on Victoria Road Beach in Formby, Merseyside, to take part in the national project.

Marine Conservation Society, who organised the event, said about five tonnes of rubbish had been taken off the beach over the last decade.

Volunteers said they wanted to help "make a big difference".

Emma Young, who was part of the team who gathered over the weekend, said: "Just look at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch [marine debris in the North Pacific Ocean] - it's quite a big problem.

"If I can do a little bit today, it still helps in the long run."

Another volunteer Sarah Hooper said: "It's such a big issue with the amount of plastic on the beach and just in our environment in general.

"And we just hope to make a big difference with that."

The clean-up was part of the Marine Conservation Society's Beachwatch scheme, which aims to highlight the issues of beach litter around the UK's coastline.

As part of the initiative, volunteers record all items found on the beach, which is used to track down the source of the litter and enable the charity to campaign for change.

Organiser Andy Laverick, from the charity, said volunteers had a big battle ahead of them.

"The amount of plastic we are finding is getting bigger and it is a sad sign of the times," he said.

"The amount of small plastics you find on the beach gives you a rough idea of what's out in the ocean and you see what's coming in on every tide."

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