BEACH lovers in Cornwall are being urged to join a national coastal clean-up taking place this month as so far only eight volunteers have signed up.

The Marine Conservation Society, the UK’s leading marine charity, says supporters are key to cleaner beaches and it hopes more people than ever before in Cornwall will take part in the "Great British Beach Clean" (September 15-18).

The event around the county’s coastline will help ensure some of the most beautiful beaches in the UK aren’t being taken for granted.

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is running at least three beach cleans and surveys around Cornwall but so far only eight volunteers have signed up.

The charity says it’s really helpful if people register their interest online before the event to ensure organisers have enough kit to go round! You can register right up until the very last minute www.mcsuk.org/waitrose, or you can just turn up on the day.

This year, the Great British Beach Clean in England is being sponsored by Waitrose who are supporting MCS’ year round beach clean programme.

The MCS beach clean event takes place every third weekend in September as part of the charity’s year round Beachwatch programme. Volunteers who get involved in Cornwall will be joining an army of beach cleaners not only around the UK, Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, but all over the world as part of the global International Coastal Clean-up, which takes a snap shot of beach litter across the planet on a single weekend.

Lizzie Prior, MCS Beach and River Clean Project Officer, says volunteers are the lifeblood of the event and the data they collect is vital: “Last year an amazing 227 volunteers took part in the Great British Beach Clean on Cornish beaches. We’d love to see even more people heading to Cornwall’s beaches and helping clean up at the events that have been organised at:

Gunwalloe Fishing Cove Shore

Widemouth Bay

Porthcurnick

Each event only takes a couple of hours and, alongside the clean; 100 metres of beach are surveyed. The form is straightforward to complete, and helps MCS to add to the local and UK litter data picture, as well as the global view. Each clean-up has an organiser so there’s plenty of advice on the day on how to fill in the simple data sheets. This information will be used by MCS to work with governments and industry in the charity’s ongoing work to stop litter getting on to our beaches in the first place.

To get involved in the Great British Beach Clean 2017 in Cornwall and be part of the most influential fight against marine litter in the UK visit www.mcsuk.org/waitrose You can also speak to the team on 01989 566017