CONSERVATIONISTS are appealing for the public to assist in beach clean-ups in the New Quay area as part of their ongoing war against plastics and litter during The Year of the Sea in Wales.

Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales’ Living Seas teams at the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre have been cleaning up local beaches for over 15 years.

Staff and volunteers host regular community litter-picks and conduct beach-cleans daily throughout the summer months.

Since 2011 the team have been recording the amount of litter collected including plastic, cigarette butts, glass, rope/fishing gear and polystyrene.

During this time volunteers have spent over 950 hours collecting a staggering 157,736 pieces of litter which has included over 50,000 pieces of plastic.

“Litter can be a real problem in the marine environment, not only for species inhabiting our seas but it can also be a danger to us,” said WTSWW’s Living Seas science officer Dr Sarah Perry.

“The majority of marine litter we collect is plastic, which can enter the food chain when mistaken for food by fish, seabirds or large animals like seals, dolphins and turtles, who can mistake plastic bags for jellyfish.

“To continue our ongoing efforts and in support of the Plastic Free New Quay campaign, the CBMWC are running beach-cleans throughout the year.”

Anyone interested can contact Laura Evans at [email protected] or call 01545 560224.

See this week’s south papers for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition now