Alarm over litter strewn on campus beach

SWANSEA University’s new beachside campus is in danger of being soiled by a tide of rubbish.

One of the most picturesque university campuses in the world, off Fabian Way on the curve of Swansea Bay, it offers direct access to miles of golden sands, but it is being blighted by glass bottles, tin cans and food wrappings.

The shocking problem was highlighted following the recent mini-heatwave which saw an exodus to the beach. While the dunes and beach are open to the public, the area is hugely popular with the university’s large student population.

One university worker said: “There’s a stretch of beach by the great hall, where there are piles of rubbish. There are loads of bottles on the beach, both glass and plastic. It’s a real mess.”

Councillor Helen Ceri Clarke said: “I don’t want to point the finger at students, but when the litter is mainly beer bottles and cans it must belong to someone who has not travelled too far. It’s being disrespectful of the local community. I am meeting with the university and I will be raising this issue with them.”

Swansea University’s Students Union, meanwhile, said it was disappointed with the litter on the beach, but wanted to avoid pointing the finger purely at students for the problem.

A statement said: “It is not fair to solely blame the student population for the mess left since the beach is available to the public, and we have just seen one of the sunniest weekends Swansea has had in a long time.”