Britain’s beaches were left in a shocking state after a Bank Holiday weekend that saw millions flock to the seaside.
Plastic rubbish, nappies, windbreakers and disposable barbecues were left littering the country’s coastline by visitors basked in temperatures hit 84F (28.7C), making the parts of the UK hotter than Hawaii.
Volunteers were left having to litter pick on Tuesday morning after tonnes of debris were simply left on the sands instead of being put in bins.
Brighton beach was among the worst hit as up to 50 tonnes of rubbish was left by thousands of day trippers, while Southsea Common in Hampshire and Chatsworth Park in Derbyshire also had mounds of litter left over.
Plastic rubbish, nappies, windbreakers and disposable barbecues were left littering the country’s coastline by visitors basked in temperatures hit 84F (28.7C), making the parts of the UK hotter than Hawaii. Pictured: Bags of litter in Queen’s Park, North West London
Rubbish left by visitors after the bank holiday weekend at the Somerset beauty spot of Warleigh Weir on the River Avon
Plastic bottles, toys, bags and plenty of other rubbish litters the beach in Brighton this morning after the bank holiday
Southsea Common is pictured last night after being littered with hundreds of plastic and glass bottles and many barbecues
Bags of litter surround a bin at Queen’s Park in North West London today following the hot and sunny bank holiday weekend
Some residents, shocked by the appalling state of their local beaches called for the introduction of a dedicated litter police to fine those flouting the rules.
The worst scenes were seen in Southend on Sea, Essex, where the sand was barely visible over the weekend due to the amount of visitors.
But the aftermath was dubbed a ‘disgrace’ with buckets and spades and hundreds of plastic water bottles left behind.
PC Daryl Jones said: ‘Now there’s nothing more I love than a day off…especially when the sun is shining. However if you come to our town to enjoy the weather please tidy up your rubbish!!!!!!! There is no excuse.’
Another local said: ‘We could have signs on the beach saying how would you like it if we came into your home stayed for the day and left our rubbish on your floor with a picture of a seagull with a beer pack holder round their neck.’
In Brighton, an army of cleaners patrol the seafront daily to try to keep the famous pebble beach clear of rubbish. The cleaning teams get to work at around 5am every morning to clear the beach ready for the day ahead.
The shameful scene was repeated across the country.
Piles of rubbish left at Chatsworth Park in Derbyshire this morning after people enjoyed the warm weather over the weekend
In Brighton, an army of cleaners patrol the seafront daily to try to keep the famous pebble beach clear of rubbish
The shameful scene of trashed beaches and parks was repeated across the country. Pictured: Rubbish on a Brighton beach
Bins were left overflowing after millions headed to parks and beaches to enjoy the warm weather. Pictured: Queen’s Park
Barry Island in south Wales was so bad, residents called for the introduction of patrolling litter police with the power to hand out fines.
Rob Weaver said: ‘We need litter police with the power to fine, or remove people from the beach.’
Shane added: ‘If you’ve left any rubbish on the beach at Barry Island today then you should be ashamed of yourselves. Disgusting.’
At Botany Bay in Kent, bins were also left overflowing with trash.
One upset visitor said: ‘The price we pay for tourism.’ Others were upset by the state of nearby Margate beach, which was also left littered in plastic waste.
‘Margate beach looks f***ing disgusting with all people’s rubbish just left on it from the long weekend,’ one local Tweeted. ‘People wonder why and how we are killing our sea and the animals in and out of it. People need to grow up and take responsibility for what they are doing to it.’
Others lamented the amount of plastic left on Branksome Beach near Poole, Dorset, where hundreds of items of plastic were left following the weekend’s heatwave.
And Bournemouth beach was also badly affected, with many people even leaving their fold-up chairs in the shadow of the pier.
Southsea Common near Portsmouth, Hampshire was littered with hundreds of plastic and glass bottles, many BBQ’s and general litter left from people having picnics and drinking alcohol
People were too lazy to take their rubbish home or even leave it next to one of the many bins in Southsea Common
The whole common in Southsea was littered with hundreds of plastic and glass bottles, many BBQ’s and general litter left from people having picnics and drinking alcohol
Dr Sue Kinsey, Senior Pollution Policy Officer at the Marine Conservation Society said: ‘It’s a shame that such a beautiful few days at the beach were spoiled by so much rubbish being left thoughtlessly behind.
‘These pictures highlight the need for urgent action on plastics including the introduction of a deposit return scheme for all sizes of containers – plastic, glass and metal, levies and charges on items such as cups and straws and banning of certain plastics altogether such as polystyrene and black plastic’.
Hugo Tagholm, chief executive of Surfers Against Sewage, added: ‘Sadly our beaches do often suffer after the influx of people during this hot weather.
‘Surfers against Sewage is always hugely disappointed to see the mess that can be left behind at some of these beaches.
‘People should be taking away their rubbish with them and disposing of it properly.
‘We work with tens of thousands of volunteers every year to clean up our beaches and so this is particularly frustrating to our volunteers, who are dedicated year round to the protection of the UK beaches for everyone to enjoy.’