LITTER louts who are caught threatening the natural environment and spoiling the landscape can now be issued with on-the-spot fines by beach wardens.

Gwynedd Council maritime officers will soon help tackle beach litter, thanks to a new cost-cutting measure brought in by a Meirionnydd councillor.

Cllr Gethin Glyn Williams, who represents Barmouth, says there is great concern locally about the mess that is left on our beaches, which in turn litters our landscape and threatens our natural environment.

“It’s a topic that is high on the agenda, thanks to the David Attenborough TV series Blue Planet II that focused on waste within our seas and its impact on marine life worldwide,” he said.

“Here in Barmouth it is an increasing problem. But we are keen to work with the community and partner agencies to look at a number of ways to try and tackle this problem.”

Locally, individuals and volunteers have cleared tonnes of rubbish from Ardudwy beaches during this season.

“As we are in the midst of the holiday period and a bank holiday week, visitors that are so crucial to our local economy are surging to the area, so this is an opp­ortunity for us to raise awareness about the forthcoming changes to local people, businesses and partners,” he added.

During Gwynedd Council’s community scrutiny committee recently, Cllr Will­iams proposed that the council’s maritime officers receive the necessary equipment and training to teach and enforce penalties for illegal littering on beaches and around the seaside towns.

“Obviously this will be one element of their work, but it will be an important element as they work in their seaside communities,” said the Plaid Cymru councillor.

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