WILDLIFE lovers scoured the shores of a scenic beach on the Jurassic Coast for a litter clean.

Nearly 90 volunteers joined in Dorset Wildlife Trust’s winter beach clean at Worbarrow Bay, near Lulworth Cove.

They collected 515kg of rubbish from the beach, which is part of the voluntary Purbeck Marine Wildlife Reserve.

Trust marine officer Emma Rance said: “We were overwhelmed again with the fantastic turnout and commitment from volunteers of all ages, including a group of staff from Brittany Ferries, the Soroptimists and our young Surf n Turf team. We couldn’t do it without them.”

Ministry of Defence range wardens were also on hand to collect the heavy bags of rubbish.

The rubbish included many items of plastic, rope and twine, which can be harmful to marine wildlife. Some of the rubbish breaks down much more slowly in the sea than on land, with orange peel taking two years and polystyrene cups taking 50 years to break down. The debris also included 28 balloons. Wildlife lovers said that balloons were of concern because turtles try to eat them, mistaking them for jellyfish.

During the clean, volunteers also found a record number of 299 mermaid’s purses – skate and shark egg cases – in one and a half hours.

Emma said: “Volunteers are often shocked by what is washed up on our beaches. “Simple things you can do to help include avoiding buying goods with unnecessary packaging, not using the toilet as a disposal bin and avoiding the use of plastic bags and balloons.”

It is believed that 100,000 marine mammals and turtles and one million seabirds are killed each year by marine litter worldwide. In Dorset, trust staff have found a wide range of affected wildlife, from crabs and dolphins to seabirds, corals and sharks. The next beach clean will be at Kimmeridge Bay on Sunday April 18 2009 at 1.30pm.