DOZENS of conscientious litter pickers have helped save the life of millions of marine animals.

On Sunday, nearly 80 people volunteered their time to help clean up Barmouth beach after storms uncovered swathes of plastic rubbish along the shore.

The Cambrian Beach Guardians were “blown away” by the efforts of volunteers, both local and from further afield, who collected a substantial amount of waste products.

The clean-up was a joint effort organised by the Cambrian Beach Guardians and Sea Shepherd.

A spokesperson for the Guardians was thrilled: “We collected a massive 110kg of marine litter.

“Just 7g is enough to kill a sea bird and a single cotton bud stick can kill marine mammals,” he said.

“With 1,000 plankton in a single teaspoon of sea water, 110kg of rubbish removed has literally saved millions of lives. We will have more beach cleans upcoming and Sea Shepherd has launched the new Ghost Net Campaign. Find out more at www.seashepherd.org.uk

“Thank you, Diolch yn fawr for your support and hard work, you were all incredible!”

The guardians have arranged for all the collected rubbish to be sorted by the county council.