VOLUNTEERS helped to clean up a number of beaches at the weekend to try to protect local wildlife.
South Gare, Redcar and Saltburn beaches were targeted by the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust for the clean-up as part of the Beachwatch 2000 project organised by the Marine Conservation Society.
Beachwatch aims to raise awareness of the problem of litter on British beaches, and a survey was carried out by the Teesside volunteers to see what kind of rubbish was being dumped.
Steve Ashton, of the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, said: "Beach litter continues to cause the death of, and injury to, thousands of seabirds, sea mammals and turtles.
"Observed beach litter levels have nearly doubled since the first Beachwatch in 1993.
"Plastic made up more than half of all litter recorded last year."
It is believed the main culprits for littering beaches are ordinary people going to the beach for fun while fishermen, sewage and shipping also cause problems. The Tees Valley Wildlife Trust hopes the communities of South Gare and Redcar will adopt their beaches after the weekend's clean-up to ensure that the area is kept tidy in the future.
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