Group tackles marine litter on Barkby beach

A group has come together to tackle the impact of marine litter on Barkby beach sands and surrounding area.

Organised by Denbighshire County Council’s Flood Risk Team, 14 volunteers managed to collect 14 bags of litter from the beach and surrounding area on the day. Keep Wales Tidy also provided some of the litter picking equipment used at the event held this week.

Items taken off the beach included a camping stove, a Thermos flask and a fishing rod.

The event on February 16 was organised to tackle the impact of marine litter in the area which can block up waterways and drainage, stopping the flow of water, leading to higher risks of localised flooding further upstream.

Removing the litter off the beach can also provide stronger support for natural defences such as shorelines, dunes and seagrass beds as they are able to better maintain their natural function as defences against the sea.

Thanks to the support of volunteers who stepped forward last month, 22 bags of marine litter were also removed from the sands and areas around the Nova in January.

Claudia Smith, Coastal Erosion and Flood Risk Officer, said: “We have had such an amazing response again from volunteers who really have made a fantastic difference to this local environment. Through everyone’s efforts there will be less risk of local flooding and damage to the environment and wildlife as well following the litter pick.

Councillor Barry Mellor, Cabinet Lead Member for Highways and the Environment, said: “We need to continually manage the risk of localised flooding from marine litter washing up on our beaches and reducing the defence against floods.”