Beach clean organisers are being urged to arrange for the litter they gather to be disposed of, after piles of collected rubbish were torched at two locations, posing a danger to people, wildlife and the environment.

Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, Pembrokeshire County Council and Keep Wales Tidy are appealing for people to plan ahead so that piles of accumulated litter are not abandoned near beaches for long periods of time.

National Park Authority ranger manager Libby Taylor said: “We are lucky that so many people volunteer to help keep our beautiful beaches clean, but it’s sad to think that this hard work can be undone by someone needlessly setting fire to litter that it has taken volunteers hours to collect.

“If you are organising a beach clean or come across a pile of collected marine litter when you visit a beach, please get in touch so that we can ensure a collection can be arranged.

“Many beach cleans are organised by organisations and groups throughout the year, but you can also help by collecting a small amount of litter any time you visit a beach and taking it home to dispose of or recycle. If everybody removed a small amount of litter each time they visited a beach it would make a huge difference.”

Pembrokeshire County Council spokesman, Len Mullins, added: “If you are organising a beach litter pick, inform Pembrokeshire County Council beforehand as the authority can usually help with equipment for the volunteer pickers, such as collecting tongs and bags.

“The council can also arrange for the bags of beach rubbish to be collected afterwards provided we know when and where the pick is being held.

“To make these arrangements, speak to environmental maintenance manager, Glenville Codd, by ringing 01437 764551.”

Keep Wales Tidy project officer, Mari Williams, added: “Keep Wales Tidy supports both groups and individual volunteers to look after their local beaches through its Coast Care programme. For more information, please visit www.keepwalestidy.org or contact 01646 694800.”

To find out where the next beach clean events are taking place, visit the Pembrokeshire Coast Care Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Pembrokeshire-Coast-Care-1400140933577102.

Caption:

Pic. Keep Wales Tidy

Beach clean organisers are being urged to arrange for the litter they collect to be disposed of.