Be a good egg this Easter - take your litter home!

Following on from last year's catastrophic scenes of litter on the North West's beaches following the easing of lock down restrictions, a North West environment group is calling on visitors to act responsibly when they come to the coast over Easter.

The Turning Tides Partnership and LOVEmyBEACH, a Keep Britain Tidy project, is calling on local residents and visitors from further afield such as Manchester and Liverpool to treat the coastline with care and respect over the Easter holidays and when Covid restrictions ease on 29th March.

Plastic waste alone kills over a million seabirds every year, along with 100,000 sea mammals, turtles and fish every year and the majority of this comes from inland.

Zephie Begolo, Campaign Manager for LOVEmyBEACH, commented: "Last year we saw a huge influx of people flocking to the coast when restrictions eased and when the weather improved. While we are happy that more people than ever are accessing our beautiful coast and making the most of the benefits of getting out in nature, we ask that people ensure that they leave it as they found it.

"More people than ever came to the coast last year, but this also meant more litter. This not only makes the beach less appealing and safe for visitors, but it also causes harm to the delicate ecosystems along the coast and the wildlife that inhabit them. People can take simple steps to help prevent this environmental damage."

The Turning Tides Partnership, LOVEmyBEACH and Keep Britain Tidy ask that people follow these steps:

• Take a bag with you to the beach so you can collect your rubbish and either take it home or dispose of it in a nearby bin.

• Don't leave rubbish next to a full bin.

• Try not to take too many single-use/wrapped/bottled items to the beach. Take your food in a lunch box or take a resusable water bottle, for example.

• Don't have BBQs on the beach - they can cause fires and harm ecosystems and wildlife.

• Be sure to take any items you take to the beach, such as chairs, back home with you.

• Be safe - check the tides to ensure you and your family have enough time to enjoy the beach. Check the RNLI website for safety information.

• Stick to the rule of 6 from 29th March - always follow government Covid guidelines and restrictions to keep yourself and your community safe.

Keep Britain Tidy Deputy CEO Richard McIlwain said: "Running parallel to the pandemic, we also witnessed another epidemic last year - that of littering in green and blue spaces. 30 million tonnes of litter is dropped in the UK every year, with some 70% of litter that ends up in the ocean coming from inland. It is critical that people take the steps we recommend to protect our beautiful coastline and wildlife as well as protecting the beaches so that everyone can enjoy them for generations to come."