Volunteers have told of the “horrifying” scale of plastic pollution at an Isle of Skye beauty spot – said to be 29 times worse than the average British beach.
Images taken this month of a cove near Ardtreck Point Lighthouse reveal shocking levels of waste, with plastic debris including bottles, crates and bags along with planks of wood and bits of rope.
The Skye Beach Cleans group revealed how their survey of this stretch of shoreline – covering just 10 metres – had uncovered 1346 items of litter.
This means when multiplied to 100m via the Marine Conservation Society’s Beachwatch app, it comes to a massive toll of 13,460 pieces of rubbish.
That’s more than 29 times higher than the average of 462 items per 100m from the latest Great British Beach Clean results recorded by the MCS.
Group coordinator Emily Johns told the Record how she and another volunteer had spent two years in the rain sifting through “endless” pieces of plastic. She said: “We were horrified by the sheer volume of plastic which we found.
“It is obvious attempts have been made to gather the plastic at the top of the beach but due to how inaccessible it is, removing this has clearly been almost impossible.
“We found a huge variety of items – almost all plastic – ranging from pieces of fishing net and spikes used in mussel farming, to deodorant cans and cigarette lighters.”
The group said 99 per cent of the items were plastic, and estimated some 44 per cent had come from fishing and shipping.
A Highland Council spokesman said: “The council recognise the problems associated with marine plastic litter on remote beaches, coastal areas and in particular the impact on island communities.
“The council work with community groups to support coordinated beach and coastal clean-ups which extends to uplifting collected materials and arranging disposal.”
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here.
READ NEXT:
-
Pele remembered by junior football team as 'greatest to ever have graced' Scots club's pitch
-
Dame Vivienne Westwood dies as family say she 'did what she loved until the last moment'
-
Pele dead aged 82 as Brazil football icon loses battle with colon cancer
-
Cody Fisher's final moments 'filmed in vile video and uploaded to Snapchat'
-
Lorry driver dies after crash as air ambulance called to scene on major Scots road
