Summer may have only just begun but a call is going out now for volunteers to support an autumn clean-up of beaches.

The Marine Conservation Society has announced details of the 25th Great British Beach Clean over the weekend September 14-17.

This year's event has the opportunity to break records, says the marine charity.

It says cleaning more beaches could tip the balance when it comes to stopping the plastic tide.

During last year's Great British Beach Clean, just under 7,000 volunteers cleaned 339 beaches and picked up more than 255,000 pieces of litter – a 10 per cent rise in the amount of rubbish on UK beaches compared to 2016.

"Cleaning 339 individual beaches last year was a fabulous achievement by our volunteers," said Lizzie Prior, MCS Beach and River Clean Officer. "But we know that it's only the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of beaches around our coasts that have never been cleaned and surveyed – and it's the collection of this data that is so important to getting even more positive changes implemented than have already been achieved in the last year or so."

She added: "We would love to see well over 500 beaches cleaned this year. If you live near a beach or have a favourite that you regularly visit, why not show it some love and organise a beach clean and survey. It's really simple and the data you collect could result in further legislative change to help our oceans breathe plastic free."

Find a beach you want to clean – sign up and register it at mcsuk.org/beachwatch/organisers and the charity will provide support.