VOLUNTEERS are needed to help to clean up the coastline and collect vital data.
The annual Beachwatch clean-up will take place on the weekend of September 20 and 21 - and so far just one event has been organised in the Saltburn area.
The Marine Conservation Society is now looking for more people to organise and take part in clean-ups along the coastline.
Alison Conway, the society's litter projects co-ordinator, said: "Beachwatch is the ideal way for people to make a positive difference to the marine environment and help to improve their local beach.
"By surveying and collecting beach litter, volunteers provide MCS with essential data for targeting polluters, highlighting marine litter issues in the UK and bringing them to the attention of government."
During the Beachwatch 2002 survey, 2,598 volunteers collected more than 241,285 items of litter from 229 beaches across the UK.
More than 50 per cent of the litter found was made from plastic, which accumulates in the marine environment and may persist for decades on beaches.
To register for Beachwatch 2003 and to organise an event, contact Alison Conway at the Marine Conservation Society on (01989) 567807.
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