Call for help with beach clean after bird nesting season ends

About 200 tonnes of rubbish have been collected from Manx beaches annually

A Manx beach cleaning charity is calling for help with a "big clean-up job" on the coastline following bird nesting season.

Beach Buddies have "respected key areas" during the summer months, founder Bill Dale said ahead of a session at Smeale on Sunday.

He said the team expected to find plastic bottles and tin cans, alongside camping kits, including sleeping bags.

Mr Dale said it was "staggering" to see tents used once before being "dumped".

He said there would be "plenty to do" as teams had "left the area alone" since April to allow birds to nest.

He called on anyone who could lend a hand to meet other volunteers on the north west coast at the southern end of Smeale beach at 10:30 BST for the 90 minute session.

'Culture change'

Mr Dale said the success of the scheme depended on people giving their time to volunteer and residents "absolutely grabbed hold of this concept that if we all do a little bit, it makes a difference".

"We are very fortunate that we've got people who understand and care about their island," he said.

He said since the project was launched in 2006 to protect the island's wildlife "the culture has changed" with more than 19,000 people signing up give their time.

"In the beginning it was two volunteers and thousands of pieces to pick up, now it's thousands of volunteers and very small amounts for everybody to pick up," he said.

Around 200 tonnes of waste per year, including fishing gear such as ropes and netting, have been collected by Beach Buddies after being washed up along the island's coast.

The organisation also receives commercial sponsorship and annual funding from the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture.