Brighton beachgoers dump 300 tonnes of rubbish since June

Many visitors left rubbish next to already-overflowing bins

Beachgoers in Brighton left behind 300 tonnes of rubbish in just three months this summer, the council has revealed.

Brighton and Hove City Council said its street cleaning staff had cleared "mountains of rubbish" since the start of June.

In one weekend alone in July, 30 tonnes of rubbish was left. Bottles, cans, food wrapping and plastic items were the most common items.

Councillor Amy Heley said the level of litter was "truly shocking".

Many who took their waste off the beach then left it beside already-overflowing bins to blow away, instead of finding an emptier bin, or taking it home, she said.

The authority said it has made repeated calls to residents and visitors to keep the city's beachfront litter-free but "some people either don't think or don't care" about the environmental damage.

Ms Heley, chair of the council's environment, transport and sustainability committee, said: "These figures are truly shocking and show we face a daily battle to protect our beach from those who are happy to leave their rubbish behind.

"But there's no excuse. We have 500 bins along the seafront, our Cityclean teams are carrying out more collections than ever before and we have installed CCTV at Hove Lawns and the central beach area."

Volunteers have been clearing rubbish off the beach

Surfers Against Sewage and Leave No Trace Brighton have organised beach cleans, and encouraged beachgoers to take their rubbish with them and pick up any extra they see.

Council enforcement officers also have the powers to hand out £150 fines for littering.

Stuart Davies, from Surfers Against Sewage, said: "Our most natural precious asset is being laid to waste on a daily basis.

"It does extreme damage to our local marine life when rubbish is left to be washed into the sea by the incoming tide."

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