'Seeing beauty of sparkling blue seawater undone by litter louts is unacceptable'

It sounds like basic common courtesy but pictures from Blackpool have shamed tourists and day-trippers who thought it acceptable to leave their wrappers, nappies, and empty bottles behind.

Council chief Neil Jack, who is also chairman of the Turning Tides Partnership, said: “It has been extraordinary to see the number of people who have flocked to the coast as restrictions have eased – but it has come at a price.

“During the lockdown period, we had all witnessed the beauty of spotlessly clean beaches and sparkling blue water along our seashores.

"To see that undone by irresponsible disposal of litter is unacceptable.

“While we hugely appreciate the efforts of the many volunteers who have turned out to remove this litter, the responsibility lies with those who use our beaches.

"The message is simple – dispose of it in one of the many bins available, or take it home with you.”

In recent weeks, LOVEmyBEACH, the partnership beach clean volunteer campaign, has been tackling the problem, spending hundreds of hours litter picking and collecting hundreds of bags of litter.

The Turning Tides Partnership is a consortium of groups along the coast stretching from Southport to Allerdale, including the Environment Agency, United Utilities and Keep Britain Tidy and all of the coastal authorities working together to improve local bathing waters and beaches.

The partnership is calling on the public to act responsibly when visiting the coast.

For more information on keeping our beaches pristine, visit keepbritaintidy.org