IT'S nearly time to hit the beach – and help turn the tide on litter.

Volunteers will be heading to various spots along the coast in Dorset this weekend for the Great British Beach Clean.

Residents and visitors are invited to join the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and other charities and organisations to clear litter from the coast and help collect valuable data.

Volunteers not only remove harmful marine litter but record data which MCS uses to influence policy changes at a national level. Volunteers are asked to record all the litter they find along a designated 100m stretch of beach which helps build a picture of the most prolific litter types.

Last year, 15,000 volunteers took part, removing 8,550 kilos of litter from beaches around the UK.

Lizzie Prior, MCS Beachwatch Officer, said: “Taking part in the Great British Beach Clean really can make a difference.

"In previous years when we’ve highlighted increases in dog poo bags and sewage related debris found on beaches and seen drops in numbers subsequently. Collecting data on litter across the UK’s beaches is all-important in turning the tide on plastic and marine pollution.”

Cleaning and surveying a beach takes a couple of hours. Each beach has a coordinator who explains how to fill in a simple data form, then it’s a case of grabbing a litter picker and a bin bag and filling it up with rubbish. Whilst some of the beaches may look clean at first glance, last year’s cleans found an average of 600 items of litter per 100m of beach.

Locally, clean-ups are supported by Dorset Waste Partnership which supplies litter picking equipment.

This year, for the first time, the Great British Beach Clean will be sponsored by the Ocado Foundation, the charitable arm of the online supermarket.

Local events (listed on MCS website) include:

Friday, Sept 20: Bowleaze Cove, 10am-1pm. Contact Kevin Mills 01305 851080

Saturday, Sept 21: Chesil Beach, Chiswell, Portland, 12:45pm-3pm. Meet on beach next to Cove House Inn. Bring thick gloves and wear sensible shoes. Contact Lorraine Burchell 07917 015869.

West Beach, West Bay, 2pm-4pm. Contact Samantha Rami 01308 422424.

West of River Char, Charmouth, 2.30pm-4pm.

Sign up to a clean near you at mcsuk.org/greatbritishbeachclean and if you can’t find an event on your preferred beach call 01989 566017 and find out how you can organise your own.