By Isle of Wight Observer
A beach clean on Cowes and Gurnard beaches collected hundreds of pieces of rubbish, including an old tyre, on Sunday.
Volunteers including Cowes mayor, Stuart Ellis, and his deputy, Lora Peacey-Wilcox, as well as other local councillors attended the clean-ups.
Stuart said: “I was there on the Cowes part of the clean-up, and we had a fantastic response with more than 20 of us taking part.
“We must have picked up more than 400 pieces of rubbish, along a 100 metre-stretch of the beach, which included more than 200 cigarette butts.
“There was a lot of glass and fishing line, as well as cable ties, which is quite concerning, because they can be caught around wildlife.
“I was lucky enough to see the ‘Cowes seal’ who made an appearance off the Royal Yacht Squadron, and it’s not the type of rubbish we need in our waters.
“The two beach cleans were done with volunteers from Planet Aware, who have carried out a survey and will be presenting it to the Government as part of a report.”
In Gurnard, the pick, which was backed by Gurnard Parish Council, was supported by around 10 volunteers who picked-up 25kg (55 lbs) of waste, including the tyre, and a black bag filled entirely with broken glass.