A COMMUNITY beach clean is being organised by town councillors in Minehead as part of this year’s national ‘Great British Spring Clean’.

The council will work in partnership with local organisations to put on the event on Saturday, March 21.

It will be the first year the town council has been involved in the spring clean, an initiative which is run by Keep Britain Tidy, the country’s leading anti-litter charity.

Town clerk Ben Parker said early discussions with local groups had ‘indicated optimism’ that the beach clean could be run alongside other community initiatives planned for around the same time.

Mr Parker said the event would be staffed and promoted as a community activity, supported by the town council’s waste‐removal arrangements, and councillors would be encouraged to take part.

Forty-five volunteers, including 20 children, joined a Plastic Free Communities in West Somerset beach and sea front clean in Minehead last week and recovered what was described as ‘a staggering amount’ of ocean debris and litter.

It included 101 glass bottles, 165 crisp and sweet wrappers, 142 tin cans, and 73 plastic bottles, as well as seven footballs, two tarpaulins, a car wing mirror, and a metal pay and display car park sign.

Last year’s ‘Great British Spring Clean’ saw volunteers pick up enough rubbish to fill more than 53,000 wheelie bins.

A Keep Britain Tidy spokesperson said: “We are facing some massive environmental challenges, both locally and globally.

“From littering and fly-tipping on our doorsteps and in our countryside to climate change, with all its devastating consequences, we all have a part to play in tackling these issues and we can all make a difference.”

♦ Elsewhere, Plastic Free Watchet is holding a beach clean and town litter pick on Saturday (March 7) with volunteers meeting at 11 am on the slipway to West Street Beach.

Litter pickers and bags will be provided, but volunteers are asked to take along a sturdy pair of gloves.

The group is also arranging a Dunster community clear-up day from 10.30 am to 12 noon on Saturday, March 14, meeting outside the village’s Exmoor National Park Centre.

Plastic Free Exmoor community lead Peter Hoyland said: “We will provide litter pickers and bags, but please bring a pair of old gloves and dress appropriately for the weather on the day.

“Our aim is to clean the village car parks, roadside edges, and, if possible, stretches of the A39 below the village.

“This event will be part of both the Surfers Against Sewage ‘Million Mile Clean’ and the Keep Britain Tidy ‘Great British Spring Clean’.”

Then, on Thursday, March 19, it is looking for volunteers to clear plastic tree guards in Timberscombe from 10 am to 12.30 pm.

Mr Hoyland said: “We will be clearing plastic tree guards from a small stretch of woodland just below Timberscombe Common.

“Due to the size of the woodland, we will need around 10 volunteers.”

Anybody interested in helping should email Mr Hoyland at [email protected] for the full details.