Litter Free Coast and Sea is back with the 30th annual Great Dorset Beach Clean over the weekend of the April 27-28.

Beach cleans will be taking place from Lyme Regis all the way along to Friars Cliff, so there’ll be plenty to choose from.

Last year over 500 volunteers turned out to clear 350 bags of rubbish from Dorset’s beaches and collected everything from single-use items like plastic bottles and drinks cans, plastic/polystyrene pieces, plastic bottle caps and lids, cotton bud sticks, drinks bottles, plastic bags, fishing line and various items of marine litter that had been washed up onto the shoreline.

Gwen Hawkins, Litter Free Coast & Sea Project Coordinator said “Whilst it’s fantastic to see record numbers of beach clean volunteers, there are still unacceptable amounts of litter, and plastic, on our beaches. There’s a lot more awareness of marine litter now thanks to programmes like Blue Planet 2, and all the stories across social media; but it’s important to remember that anyone can get involved and do their bit.”

“Beach cleans are great – they only last for a couple of hours. You’re doing something that really makes a difference and you may make new likeminded friends whilst being out along our beautiful Dorset coastline!”

There are 17 beach cleans registered along the Dorset coast on Saturday April 27th and Sunday 28th.

Purbeck Ice Cream are looking forward to supporting the Holes Bay Beach Clean volunteers with free Ice Cream…So if you’ve helped with a beach clean there, then swap your GDBC token for a scoop or two!

Full details of the beaches involved and dates and times of each beach clean can be found on the LFCS website.

LFCS Project Support Officer Caz Richards said, “We are hoping this will be our biggest Great Dorset Beach Clean yet. We’re asking people to use the hashtag #GreatDorsetBeachClean to help us like all the stories and photos from the beach cleans, find your nearest beach clean or maybe explore a new beach. And be sure to bring your friends and family to help us keep Dorset’s beaches Litter Free.”

n 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 by preventing litter from getting to our coast in the first place.

It is supported and promoted by over 500 local organisations and individuals up and down the coast. All supporters want a litter free coast and sea, act in ways that will help achieve this and encourage other people to do so.

Litter from the GDBC will be collected and being processed by Dorset Waste Partnership, Bournemouth Borough Council, Borough of Poole Council as part of their ongoing commitments to maintaining a litter free coast in Dorset.

For more information please contact Litter Free Coast and Sea Project Coordinator Gwen Hawkins: Phone: 07919 188084 Gwen will be available for interviews and comments from Thursday 25 April.

Email: gwen.l.hawkins@dorsetcc.gov.uk Visit www.litterfreecoastandsea.co.uk