ABOUT 65 people of all ages joined a winter beach clean and litter pick in Watchet organised by the Plastic Free Watchet campaign group.

After a short briefing on the slipway in West Street, some volunteers spread out on the beach while others set off along the coast path and around the town armed with litter pickers and sacks.

Andy Levett, one of the event’s organisers, said: “A big thank you to all those who joined us.

“Together we collected a huge array of litter, from large metal items down to countless tiny fragments of plastic.”

Some of the rubbish collected during a beach clean and litter pick in Watchet.
Some of the rubbish collected during a beach clean and litter pick in Watchet. (Plastic Free Watchet)

The collected waste was sorted when the volunteers retired to The Sanctuary, in Swain Street, and a brand audit was carried out with Coca-Cola, Walkers, Mars, and Cadbury found to be the worst ‘offenders’ in terms of the packaging which had been picked up. 

Among the more unusual items picked up were a child’s sandal, a sole-less boot, a spark plug, headphones, and a wig.

The prize of a metal water bottle was awarded to the family who found a plastic Womble figure near the rock armour on West Street beach.

A plastic Womble figure found during a Watchet beach clean.
A plastic Womble figure found during a Watchet beach clean. (Plastic Free Watchet)

Plastic Free Watchet is part of a national campaign by Surfers Against Sewage which aims to significantly reduce reliance on single-use plastic, much of which ends up on beaches and in the sea.

In addition to Watchet, Minehead and Exmoor have also been accredited as ‘Plastic Free Communities’ by the national campaign group and work together as Plastic Free West Somerset to organise local events and raise awareness of plastic pollution.

More information about the campaign is available online here or by following it on social media.