Fly-tipping waste including a kitchen cabinet was among the rubbish picked up during a beach clean in Gorleston.
More than 120 people, with some from as far away as Ely, turned up at the third Gorleston Community Beach Clean on Sunday, October 21.
Volunteers joined in with efforts to keep our beaches free from rubbish and collected several bags in just two hours.
Organiser Melanie Ruse said: “The final count of people taking part was an amazing 126 with around 50 of those being children.
“Having the Light-up, noisy, kids’ litter pickers and the prospect of finding painted rocks hidden on the beach really drew the crowds.
“Kitchen cabinets, a frisbee, plastic bottles, a chunk of rusty metal, dog-ends and crisp packets were among the items found. Another cleaner bagged a dead cormorant.
“Other beach cleaners were amazed at the number of filled dog poo bags left on the beach. What is the point of going to the trouble of bagging it if you then leave it on the steps? There are many bins on the seafront so there is little excuse for it.
“Several people commented on how clean our beach is. This is our third pick-up. We held one in November last year and then in April.”
Among those helping out was a team of litter pickers from Gorleston’s Cliff Hotel. Manager Daryn Ferguson promised to help the clean-up after his planned balloon release sparked an online row.
Alison and Holly Crombie travelled from Ely. They saw the BBC’s Drowning in Plastics programme and, after looking on the Marine Conservation Society page, found Gorleston beach.
The Hipperson family came from Norwich to join in the fun.
Meanwhile, the Gorleston Community Beach Clean has had a £5,000 project to buy litter picking kits for use in local schools and youth groups approved for submission by the Aviva Community Fund. Voting opens on October 23 and the project will need public votes to get the funds.
The event fitted in with the EDP’s Big Coast Clean Up, which is a campaign to raise awareness of the importance of keeping our coastline clean.
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