A COMMITTED group of cleaners will descend on Lyme Regis beaches to combat the litter and debris plaguing the town’s seafront.

Organised by the national Litter Free Coast and Sea initiative in December, the ‘Love Lyme’s Beaches BeachCare’ group will take to the beaches on Sunday to try to remove the litter strewn across the beaches.

The clean is even more important following the rubbish washed up by the winter storms.

Organiser Matilda Bark said: “A lot of people have been sharing it on social media which is good and we are hoping a lot of people will turn up to the event.

“It is so important for tourism to have clean beaches and as we move towards summer it is something we will be looking to do quite regularly in the area.

“This is the first beach clean in Lyme Regis and we are all looking forward to it.”

A lot of debris and rubbish was left on the beaches following the recent storms, but the beach cleaners will not remove trees and branches.

Miss Bark added: “I don’t think we will be doing massively heavy lifting, we have to make sure everyone is safe and removing the trees and branches is something for the professionals.

“We will be doing the more usual beach cleaning stuff, taking away plastic bottles and plastic bags.

“We have to be like magpies really, and just pick up anything that is shiny and shouldn’t be on the beach.

“We are just keeping our fingers crossed for good weather.”

The beach cleaning event has been advertised by leaflets in the town with those attending advised to wear sturdy footwear and warm clothes.

Patrick Elliott, BeachCare group member and designer of the group logo, said: “I moved to Lyme Regis 18 months ago and have joined the group because I am an artist and photographer, so appreciate the special environment at Lyme and would love to contribute in a more organised way in preserving its unique beauty.

“We should be proud of our beautiful coastline – truly an area of outstanding natural beauty.

“I know there are many like-minded people who care about the natural environment and I am sure many will join our group, helping to preserve our heritage for future generations.”

To take part in the beach clean, which is open to everyone, the group will be meeting at the Aroma Cafe on Bridge Street at 10am this Sunday.

For more information, join the Love Lyme’s Beaches BeachCare group on Facebook, follow @Litterfreecoast on twitter, or call 01305 221752.