VOLUNTEERS took to the beaches over the weekend to give them an autumn clean.

After a busy summer on the Dorset coast, when sun-seekers flocked to the area, teams headed to the seashore armed with bin bags and litter pickers for the Great Dorset Beach Clean.

Lyn Cooch of the Dorset Countryside coastal ranger team helped out on Chesil Beach.

She said: “We have been conducting a survey of a 100-metre area on the beach to record what litter is being picked up.

“The litter from these areas will then be weighed before the data is sent off.

“It is a great initiative to keep our beaches clean after a busy summer.”

Fishing nets, barbecues and plastic items made up a lot of the waste, with details of rubbish picked up sent to the Marine Conservation Society to add to its annual report on beach litter.

The clean-ups are organised by Dorset County Council’s Country-side Ranger Service.

A lot of the rubbish that is picked up is washed ashore but there is also a percentage of rubbish that is fly-tipped or left behind after beach picnics.

Sheonagh Ravensdale and Pat Thomson cycled from Upwey to Chesil Beach to help out with the clean. Sheonagh said: “It is really lovely here on Chesil Beach and it is important to keep it clean.

“We were available, so decided to cycle down and help.

“We have found all sorts of litter including clumps of oil, tennis balls and beer cans.”

Bags of litter were collected from each beach during the clean.

Last year it was found that plastic waste made up 62 per cent of all the rubbish collected from Dorset beaches.

At Bowleaze Cove in Weymouth 205 pieces of fishing net under 50cm in size were meticulously bagged, while at Chesil Cove on Portland 484 pieces of string and cord under one centimetre were collected.

People can also help out at next year’s spring clean on Sunday, April 27, when it is hoped to clean at least 27 different beaches.