DOZENS of Dorset's beaches will be cleaned up with the return of a popular community drive this year - and volunteers are now being urged to sign up to help.

The Great Dorset Beach Clean annually attracts hundreds of volunteer litter pickers to help keep the county's beaches clean, but it had to be cancelled last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Delighted organisers have announced the 31st annual event will return over the weekend of May 22 and 23, with beach cleans at 21 locations lined up.

Litter Free Coast and Sea is running the event in partnership with Clean Jurassic Coast. Organisations and community groups, including Dorset Wildlife Trust, National Trust and Leave Only Footprints, will be involved in running the cleans.

More than 700 volunteers rolled up their sleeves to take part in the 2019 event, working together to clear 214 bags of rubbish from across the Dorset coast.

But due to ongoing Covid restrictions this year, places will be limited at each event so places must be booked in advance.

Matilda Manley, Litter Free Coast & Sea Project Co-ordinator, said “We are excited to be running the Great Dorset Beach Clean again this year. It is obviously going to be a bit different and a little scaled back. However, we know that all the volunteers who help to lead the events and those who sign up to join in will make a big difference to our beautiful coastline. We look forward to seeing you on the beaches!”

Rubbish picked up during the last event included plastic bottles and aluminium cans, polystyrene pieces, bottle caps and lids, cotton bud sticks, plastic bags, fishing lines and various items of marine litter that had been washed up onto the shoreline.

Roy Beal, founder of Clean Jurassic Coast, added “There is strength in numbers. Only by working together can we keep our fabulous beaches clean and the more awareness we can raise as a volunteer collaborative network, the better chance we have of getting the message across to try to prevent littering in the first place.”

Bowleaze Cove, Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door, Chesil Cove, Castle Cove, Charmouth Beach and Seatown are among the 21 locations for this year's clean.

For more information or to book a place visit www.litterfreecoastandsea.co.uk/greatdorsetbeachclean/