Minority slammed for litter left at seafront

It’s not acceptable – that’s the message from Sunderland’s leaders after a clear up mission was launched to tidy up a litter-strewn seafront.

Early morning visitors to Seaburn rolled up their sleeves and launched a litter pick after they arrived to enjoy the start of the say on the promenade, with sea swimmers and communityminded residents among those to collect bags of waste from the mess left behind.

The efforts, carried out yesterday, came in the wake of a busy day for the coast line.

Used condoms and cannabis were spotted among drinks cans and boxes left strewn on South Bents fields, while swimmers expressed concerns waste including plastic and glass bottles, dirty nappies and chip wrappers will have been washed out to sea, causing further damage to the environment. Sunderland City Council Executive Director of Neighbourhood Services, Fiona Brown, said: “It is understandable that residents and visitors want to take advantage of good weather on Sunderland’s beaches and in public spaces, and we know that the vast majority of people do this responsibly.

"However, yesterday we saw a minority ruin the environment for everyone else by leaving their rubbish lying around.

"This is completely unacceptable, and we are once again asking everybody to dispose of their rubbish properly in litter bins or take it back home with them.”

The council’s website offers a section where people can report areas which have a litter issue: https://www.sunderland.gov.uk/Reportlitter-debris-or-leaves.