A TEAM of keen aquarists are going above and beyond in their efforts to take care of the local sea.

Divers from Weymouth Sea Life are taking part in a series of shore diving beach cleans along the Dorset coast this summer.

The idea came about after two conservationists who work at the centre, Phil Manning and Kico Iraola, went diving near Weymouth beach and came across areas of littered waters. The pair regularly take part in land beach cleans, but wanted to extend their impact further.

The first underwater beach clean took place on Chesil Beach. Teams of divers collected masses of ropes and fishing wires which had become tangled on the sea bed: the physical intensity of the work means further diving cleans are required to clear the area.

Kico, who works as a curator at Sea Life, said: "We’re hoping to make this a regular event and so if any local dive clubs would like to organise a dive team and get involved in rubbish collection, we would love to hear of your progress and log the rubbish you collect during your dives."

All the rubbish collected from the sea is being recorded. For further information or to report any rubbish collected from the local waters, please contact info@merlinentertainments.biz