Tourists have been urged to take home their rubbish after Britain’s beaches were drowned in litter this weekend.
Beaches have been packed throughout the weekend as temperatures reached 36 degrees yesterday in some parts of the country.
Some local councils pleaded with tourists to stay away due to fears of overcrowding, with most of Bournemouth beach being put on red alert.
Locals shared their dismay at the state of Brighton beach this morning, with the seafront covered in carrier bags and bottles.
Dr Chloe Peacock shared an image on Twitter of litter covering the beach. She said: “The on-the-spot fines working well then?!
"Went for a swim at 8am today as this is the only time I feel it’s safe for locals before the hoards descend.”
Samantha Hornsby also shared a video of rubbish covering the beach. She posted: “Brighton beach is an absolute state yet again this morning. Walked here as I do every morning to go for a swim and don’t even wanna get in the sea.”
She added: "Just walked past some survivors from last night - a couple pretty much having sex next to a group casually taking coke while people stroll past. This is a lot for a 7am walk I'm not gonna lie."
Beachgoers have been warned they will be fined £150 on-the-spot if they are caught dropping litter.
The council has issued nearly 400 fines for environmental crimes in the last three months – bringing in £100,000 for the council.
The city said it saw its highest ever amount of rubbish collected on a single day on June 25, prompting a big campaign to keep the beach tidy.
Meanwhile in the streets of Cleethorpes, Grimsby, overflowing bins have been pictured with mountains of litter lining the streets, reports the Grimsby Telegraph.
Among the rubbish were bags containing empty crisp packets, drinks cans and bottles, fish and chip wrappings, unwanted ice cream cones, coffee cups, takeaway trays, McDonald's packaging, and even a pair of flipflops.
Councillor Ron Shepherd said: "We won't tolerate littering on our streets and enforcement officers will give fixed penalty tickets for littering and dog control offences.
"There are more than 800 litter bins in the area, including 50 along Central Promenade in Cleethorpes so there is no excuse to drop litter.
"Littering makes the place look a mess, it's harmful to wildlife and the environment. If a bin is full, take your rubbish home."
Discarded PPE is also a threat to the environment and to wildlife.
Environmentalist Emily Stevenson, also known as the BeachGuardian, has said that PPE has become a major threat to the environment and ocean.
During a one-hour litter pick in Cornwall,the 23-year-old found 171 items of PPE including face masks and gloves -compared to just six she found previously on the same route.
Emily told CornwallLive : "Though this may be a timely issue now, it’s unfortunately not one that is going to go away any time soon either.”
