By Oliver Streather-Paul

The world’s top Olympic skiff sailors are running a beach clean as the Volvo 49er European championship comes to Weymouth and Portland.

Members of the public have been invited to join the beach clean at 5pm on Wednesday, May 8 at Chesil Beach, close to the regatta venue of Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy.

Many of those volunteering in the beach clean, including the sailors themselves, use the social media hashtag #Sailors4theSea to raise awareness and network with others.

The movement was started by a group of Olympic-class sailors led by Argentina’s Yago Lange and now includes Britain’s Hannah Mills, Spain’s Iago Lopez-Marra and USA’s Atlantic Brugman.

It builds on the success of the Princess Sofia regatta in Palma, where hundreds of people turned out to pick litter off local beaches.

Sailor Yago Lange said: “We are in close contact with marine plastic pollution everywhere we sail.

“This time we have the opportunity to stand up and raise our voice as a community and look for solutions to save the oceans.

“A beach clean is a powerful tool for raising awareness, but we also need to reduce single use plastic in our boat parks and keep them clean.

“We need everyone to get involved to make this happen.”

Also joining the beach clean will be environmental groups from around the UK including the Dorset Wildlife Trust, Final Straw Solent, #2MinuteBeachClean and Litter Free Coast and Sea.

Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Sally Welbourn said: “Everyone who uses the beach and the water has to play a part in helping to look after our environment, so it’s great to see sailors and members of the public getting involved with this event.

“We hope that high-profile events like this will help inspire others to live more sustainably to help limit the litter that ends up on our beaches, and also help keep beaches clean all year round.”

The 49er and Nacra 17 European Championship said they will implement a sustainability plan that includes elimination of single-use plastics on site, adding recycling points, fresh water stations to prevent the need for bottles and raising awareness of the risk of invasive species.

The championship will run from May 14 to May 19.