A WHOPPING 165 bags of rubbish were collected over the weekend as beaches were cleaned by volunteers.

Bags of rubbish containing tyre, rusty lobster pots, tents and oil drums were collected on May 22 and 23 as part of the Great Dorset Beach Clean, which saw 328 people roll up their sleeves and take part.

The beach clean, organised by Litter Free Coast and Sea in partnership with Clean Jurassic Coast, saw organisations and community groups join together to help run the event, including Dorset Wildlife Trust, National Trust and Leave Only Footprints.

In 2019, more than 700 volunteers worked together to clear 214 bags of rubbish from across the Dorset coast. Due to coronavirus restrictions this year, places were limited for each event and had to be booked in advance.

Even with less volunteers able to participate, a total of 165 bags of rubbish were collected on a wet and windy weekend, in a tremendous feat of perseverance for all those who took part.

Bowleaze Cove, Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door, Chesil Cove, Castle Cove, Charmouth Beach and Seatown were among the locations that were cleaned.

A spokesman for Litter Free Coast and Sea said: "Thank you to everyone who took part in this year’s Great Dorset Beach over the weekend.

"Although the weather was not in our favour, we powered through and 19 of the 22 organised cleans - hosted by local organisations and community groups - were able to take place and our 328 litter hero volunteers helped clean up Dorset’s beautiful beaches, collecting 165 bags of rubbish, including tyres, buried rusty lobster pots, tents and oil drums.

"A shout out to all our volunteer beach clean leaders and first aiders for helping the show to go on, and to Dorset Council Waste Services for collecting the picked rubbish.

"Let's work together to keep our beaches clean this summer."

Litter Free Coast and Sea is a campaign group aiming to reduce the social, economic and environmental impacts of marine and beach litter, and improve and maintain bathing water quality on the Dorset coast.

For more information about Litter Free Coast and Sea and to get involved in upcoming campaigns, visit www.litterfreecoastandsea.co.uk/