A trio of Gwynedd beaches have been combed for plastics and other waste by athlete Kiko Matthews and a team of volunteers.

Kiko’s team, Kik Plastic, took to the sands of Criccieth, Shell Island and Hell’s Mouth, along with local volunteers, to collect some of the vast amounts of waste washed up on their shores.

Organisers of the beach clean thanked volunteers for getting involved, and expressed their shock at the “unbelievable” volume of debris found on the beaches.

The team cleared around 60kg of rubbish in Shell Island, 39kg from Criccieth and 43kg from Hell’s Mouth.

Amongst the items discovered was fishing debris, clothing, microplastics and a crisp packet from 1990 – the latter in particular showing that waste lingers long after it has been thrown away.

Kiko, who broke the female solo transatlantic rowing record last year, said: “Plastic pollution and the damage it is causing should not be underestimated. “Getting communities to head to their local beach for a clean-up is an ideal way to mobilise them so they can see the scale of the problem with their own eyes.

“We’ve been blown away by the support we have received, but also sadly by the unbelievable amount of litter we have uncovered on the way.

“Diolch yn fawr to everyone who chipped in along the way.”

Kiko is currently embarking on a 7,200km bike ride around the UK and taking part in 76 beach-cleans along the way, in the hope of raising awareness of the widespread plastic pollution on our coasts.

See this week’s north editions for the full story, in shops and online on Thursday