A community litter pick across eight beaches in Dorser was hailed as a "resounding success" despite stormy weather.
The 34th Great Dorset Beach Clean took place on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7, where volunteers gathered to clean up eight beaches across Dorset.
On Saturday the participants covered beaches in West Bexington, Cogden, Chesil Cove and on Sunday, they cleaned Kimmeridge, Chesil Beach, Charmouth, Hamm Beach in Ferrybridge and Lyme Regis.
There was also an inland clean at Halstock Village and Corscombe on both days.
Edward Morello, Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate for West Dorset, attended the beach clean at Lyme Regis beach with his daughter on Sunday.
He said: "We are lucky to live in one of most beautiful party of the country with beaches that are world famous and recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unfortunately they are increasingly blighted by rubbish, especially plastics, which is bad for residents, tourism, and wildlife. That's why the Great Dorset Beach Clean is so important.
"My 6 year old had a brilliant time, and probably collected more rubbish than I did! If you haven't done it before I would urge you to get involved next year. It's good fun, and there's a great sense of community and purpose."
Despite challenging weather conditions, the beaches saw over 200 people rally together to clear marine litter which was believed to have been brought over by recent storms.
The project is organised by Litter Free Dorset as part of their community campaign to reduce litter at source and improve bathing water quality in the county.
Many of the participating groups collect valuable data, which is shared with organisations like the Marine Conservation Society and Surfers Against Sewage. This data helps to inform government policies aimed at reducing litter and protecting marine environments.
Common items found during the clean-up included fishing gear, hard plastics, and nurdles, with some more unusual discoveries such as brooms, a fridge, and the occasional shoe.
The amount of nurdles and microplastic along beaches continues to be prominent issue particularly on Weymouth Beach as local litter picker Brian Hallworth believes there may be more than ever before.
READ MORE: 'Millions' of nurdles and microplastics on Weymouth Beach
Hundreds of kilos of litter was removed from the beaches across the weekend, with 104kg of litter removed in just two hours from Kimmeridge Bay alone.
Janet Breeze, Lyme Litter Pickers co-ordinator, said: "We were thrilled so many came to help with our beach clean in Lyme Regis on Sunday. As usual we collected lots of broken fishing gear, micro-plastics, cigarette butts and food and drink packaging.
"Such events are fun and encourage more people to play a role in keeping our towns and sea litter-free, but we can all do our bit every day, minimising waste, disposing of litter responsibly and picking up rubbish whenever we see it and it is safe to do so.
"Without such efforts oceans and sea life suffer and our well-being and enjoyment of beautiful areas, such as the Jurassic Coast, are jeopardised."
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