VOLUNTEERS have helped to clean a west Dorset beach - playing a part in protecting the coastline from litter.

Litter Free Coast and Sea’s support of the Marine Conservation Society’s Great British Beach Clean in Lyme Regis encouraged locals to step forward and do their bit for the environment.

An area of Monmouth beach was divided into zones, where detailed information about the size and type of debris collected between the tide lines was noted by small teams.

Covering a much larger area of Monmouth Beach than at previous events, the litter pickers found not only the most common rubbish consisting of fishing lines, plastic bottles, sweet wrappers and disposable barbecues, but also a jacket, a pair of trousers, two tops, a pair of knickers, a shoe and two odd socks.

Lyme Regis Litter Free Coast and Sea leader Krys Lavery, said: "This data will be collated and compared against previous years.

"It also helps discover where the litter is coming from and gives the evidence to help stop it from ever getting there in the first place - an essential part of cleaning up our oceans.

"All of these can pose a serious threat to sea and shore life. Plastics can last for hundreds of years in the sea, harming wildlife and threatening livelihoods . Every little bit that is removed will make a difference for a long time to come. This is particularly relevant locally as a sick dolphin and a dead seal have been found in the Lyme Regis area recently."

Litter Free Coast and Sea is an ongoing campaign to reduce the social, economic and environmental impacts of marine and beach litter, and improve and maintain bathing water quality along the Dorset and East Devon coast. The aim is to prevent litter from getting to the coast in the first place.

The campaign is supported and promoted by more than 500 organisations and individuals along the coast.

For more information, visit litterfreecoastandsea.co.uk