See photos of Hastings residents braving blustery winds to tackle plastic pollution in beach clean-up

The beach clean was part of an initiative set up by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), which started after the Covid-19 lockdowns to help clean up the local area.

Dominic Harvey, a regional representative for SAS, led the clean up which took place along Rock-A-Nore Beach.

Among the items found littering the seafront were: discarded fishing lines and nets, disposable mugs, water bottles and bottle caps.

The clean up is one of thousands which will take place across the UK this year in a bid to reduce plastic pollution across one-million miles of land.

In 2021, 138,425 volunteers took part, removing 387,563 kilos of plastic pollution from the environment and cleaning up 1,101,015 miles.

Dominic said that there are many ways residents can help to keep our environment clean.

One of the most impactful ways to do this is to replace your disposable bottles and mugs with reusable ones, as these are items which Dominic often sees discarded, and even to avoid biodegradable products.

He said: “Biodegradable doesn’t necessarily mean it’s great for the environment because it can still end up in the ocean.”

Find out more about the clean up here.