The Blue Flag beaches of Pembrokeshire and the clear waters are an attraction for visitors and locals alike. Yet on the tide line there is an environmental menace and a reminder of a serious reality -plastic pollution.

For a college project on plastic, Tony Charles, who is studying for a photography degree in Cardiff, walked Saundersfoot beach with his two grandchildren Harry and Molly last Sunday morning (November 6) and collected up plastic. From the plastic rubbish found on the high tideline, he created several artistic images.

Tony said: “In some ways I expected us to collect more plastic than we did. The fact that the amount we saw was lower than expected is encouraging, but any amount is bad for the environment. Some of the plastic was washed up from the sea, but a lot of what was gathered were things like plastic bottle tops left by visitors on the sands. So the message must be, take your rubbish off the beach with you.”

How does Tony like Saundersfoot?

“With my family roots here, I spend as much time in Saundersfoot as I can and just love the natural environment of Pembrokeshire,” he said “We need to do all we can to preserve the environment.”

As part of his college degree project on plastic, images will be exhibited next April in Cardiff. Meanwhile, some of Tony’s Beach Plastic images can be seen here or found on his website - http://saundersfoot.weebly.com/beach-plastic-art.html