Litter on Welsh beaches reached a record high in 2004, according to a major seaside cleanliness survey. Wales had the highest density of beach litter recorded in the Marine Conservation Society's Beachwatch initiative.
The society has been monitoring beaches for 14 years. It said litter had more than doubled in UK in the past decade.
It is campaigning for new laws to control the growth in beach pollution, particularly discarded plastic.
The two-day Beachwatch survey was carried out by volunteers in September 2004 at 27 unidentified beaches in Wales.
In all, 269 beaches and 135km of UK coastline were cleaned and surveyed. An international study was also carried out in 100 countries.
 | LITTER ON UK BEACHES Wales: 2,634 items/km England: 2,242 items/km Scotland: 1,505 items/km Channel Islands: 1,115 items/km Northern Ireland: 484 items/km |
Wales recorded the highest density of beach litter, with more than 2,600 items found on every kilometre of coastline surveyed, followed by England, Scotland, the Channel Islands and Northern Ireland.
"It's the first time that Wales has topped the survey in its 14-year history," said Gill Bell, the society's Adopt-a-Beach outreach officer.
The highest proportion of litter on beaches had been left behind by visitors, followed by fishing debris, shipping litter and sewage-related debris.
The particular problemon Wales' beaches was that litter was often washed up on beaches by the tide, said Ms Bell.
"What is worrying is the ever-increasing amount of plastic found on beaches, which is biodegradable and which presents huge problems for bird and marine life," said Ms Bell.
Plastic found during Beachwatch surveys has doubled in the last decade. In 1994, 530 items of plastic were found per kilometre of beach compared to more than 1,000 in 2004.
Bags and small plastic pieces can entangle marine animals causing them to drown. They can also be swallowed by marine animals like whales and turtles, causing them to starve.
"There is the problem of plastic bags and balloons which have been ingested by leatherback turtles off Cardigan Bay when mistaken for jelly fish," said Ms Bell.
The society has called on the UK Government to introduce new laws placing a tax on plastic bags and limiting the release of balloons.
A spokeswoman for the Welsh assembly said: "We are disappointed that this survey shows a litter problem on our Welsh beaches, particularly because we have such superb bathing water quality results and this is a huge attraction for tourists.
"Some of this rubbish is coming from ships, some from rivers, but everyone has a responsibility to help by taking their litter home with them and not leaving it on the beach or dropping it in rivers."
One-Minute World News 
News services
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
