VOLUNTEERS who spend hours each week cleaning Aberystwyth’s coastline have called on beachgoers and the authorities to take responsibility over a littering hot spot.

Aberystwyth Beach Buddies are a voluntary action and environmental campaign group, launched in spring 2014 to help keep the town’s beaches clean and raise awareness of the importance of picking up beach litter.

Speaking to the Cambrian News this week, Sian Obermaier and Lisa Manning, originally from Chepstow and York respectively, said that while people’s awareness of litter was growing, there are still those who think they have “carte blanche” to drop litter on the town’s beaches.

In particular, volunteers have seen litter problems escalate in an area between the northern end of the promenade and Constitution Hill on Aberystwyth North Beach, which was recently awarded Blue Flag status, and on a ledge on the cliff overlooking the beach.

“This really is a crisis, which is why it is so upsetting,” Ms Obermaier told the Cambrian News.

“No amount of appeals are stopping some individuals from regularly trashing the coves at the far end of north beach, the area beyond ‘the bar’, and an area above them on Constitution Hill."

Beyond providing the group with beach cleaning equipment, Ms Obermaier claims the Beach Buddies are not seeing much support from the authorities, including the county council and police.

“I feel like a little bit more could be done," Ms Obermaier said.

“We are asking for two things really: for people to take responsibility for their own actions; and, the authorities to be a bit more proactive.”

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