Tourists could turn their backs on a host of popular beaches across Tayside and Fife due to a lack of community spirit, conservationists have warned.
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) claims a severe shortage of local volunteers to clear up 10 litter-strewn beaches in Courier Country could have serious consequences for tourism.
With only a handful of litter pickers signed up for their Great British Beach Clean from September 18 to 21, the group is worried residents are taking their beaches for granted.
Charlotte Coombes, MCS beachwatch officer, urged people from both regions to assist organised events at Dunnottar North and South, Johnshaven, St Cyrus Sands, Arbroath West, East Haven, Monifieth, Buckhaven, East Sands atSt Andrews, Kinghorn Harbour and Tentsmuir Point.
She said: “All of our Great British Beach Clean events are organised byvolunteers and they need help.
“We want to match last year’s figures and see at least 5,000 volunteers taking part nationwide 663 of which were in Scotland in 2014. We’d love to seepeople heading to the Scottish coastline and helping clean up at the events.”
The MCS beach clean event takes place every third weekend in September as part of the charity’s year-round Beachwatch programme. Volunteers who get involved will be joining an army of beach cleaners not just around the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man, but all over the world as part of the global International Coastal Clean-up, which takes a snap shot of beach litter across the planet on a single weekend.
Each event only takes a couple of hours and, alongside the clean, 100 metres of beach are surveyed.
Information is then used by MCS to work with governments and industry in the charity’s ongoing work to stop litter getting on to beaches in the first place.
Charlotte said the data collected are vital. “It raises awareness of just how much of a problem marine litter is, and everyone goes home with a better understanding of how they can help.
“Plastics can last for hundreds of years in the sea, harming wildlife andthreatening livelihoods, so every little bit that our volunteers remove will make a difference for a long time to come.”
To get involved visit www.mcsuk.org/greatbritishbeachclean or telephone 01989 566017.