Syringes, circuit boards and fishing hooks found on Portsmouth seafront as hundreds flock to clean shoreline

ALMOST 80kg of waste was collected along the seafront by volunteers at the weekend.
Beach cleaners in action at the Great British Beach Clean. Picture: Vernon Nash (210919-006)Beach cleaners in action at the Great British Beach Clean. Picture: Vernon Nash (210919-006)
Beach cleaners in action at the Great British Beach Clean. Picture: Vernon Nash (210919-006)

More than 200 people took part in the Marine Conservation Society’s (MCS) Great British Beach Clean in Southsea on Saturday, September 21, clearing the shoreline of rubbish that has been left behind by others.

Data was also collected by the MCS, which will be presented to the government to help steer future environmental policy.

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Beach cleans have steadily grown in popularity in Southsea, under the watchful eyes of Jane and Sergio Di Dino, who run monthly events.

Beach cleaners in action at the Great British Beach Clean. Picture: Vernon Nash (210919-006)Beach cleaners in action at the Great British Beach Clean. Picture: Vernon Nash (210919-006)
Beach cleaners in action at the Great British Beach Clean. Picture: Vernon Nash (210919-006)

Sergio said: ‘What we mostly find are plastic bottles and lids, food wrappers and cigarette butts.

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‘We’ve been doing this for around two years and have seen a huge rise in the number of people coming to help.

‘The Great British Beach Clean isn’t just about cleaning the beach, but also finding out more about the environment and what is being dumped on the seafront.’

A lobster shell found during the Great British Beach Clean in Southsea. Picture: Jane Di DinoA lobster shell found during the Great British Beach Clean in Southsea. Picture: Jane Di Dino
A lobster shell found during the Great British Beach Clean in Southsea. Picture: Jane Di Dino
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The most unusual items found included two circuit boards behind The Pyramids Centre, a lobster shell and part of a barbecue that had been hidden under the shingle.

As volunteers continued to sweep the shoreline, Sandy Luk, CEO of the MCS, praised the city for its willingness to help the environment.

She said: ‘The information collected here today will be used to lobby the government – we’re now lobbying for a bottle return deposit scheme.

‘In Portsmouth it has become a real family affair. We see children out collecting rubbish with their grandparents, friends taking to the beach, it’s a great atmosphere.

The beach cleaners get a safety briefing from Jane Di Dino. Picture: Vernon Nash (210919-003)The beach cleaners get a safety briefing from Jane Di Dino. Picture: Vernon Nash (210919-003)
The beach cleaners get a safety briefing from Jane Di Dino. Picture: Vernon Nash (210919-003)
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‘It’s wonderful to see how much Portsmouth cares about cleaning up the environment.’

Leader of Portsmouth City Council, Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson, was also at the seafront with a litter picker – but said the volunteers had beaten him to most of the waste.

‘Thanks to these volunteers we have been left with a very clean beach,’ he said.

‘There are loads of people coming down and so there wasn’t much left to pick up – it’s great to see people giving up their time to look after the place they live.’

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