Littering forces two-day clean-up of popular beach

An extra clean-up has been carried out at one of Norfolk's most popular beaches after some visitors left rubbish on the sands over the bank holiday weekend.

North Norfolk District Council said additional cleaning crews cleared up a "significant volume" of litter including foil packaging and broken glass bottles at Cromer beach on Monday and Tuesday.

On social media it said while the majority of local residents and visitors disposed of their waste responsibly in litter bins, or by taking it home, some was concealed in the sand posing a "risk of injury to beach-goers and animals".

The council acknowledged that during peak times bins can often fill up faster than they can be collected, but said additional bins were also placed in advance of the weekend in anticipation of higher visitor numbers.

It said members of the public had helped regular volunteers collect the litter left by others.

One person, who helped collect litter, commented on the council's social media post that he had picked up a used nappy, paper coffee cups, tin cans and bottles.

Jill Boyle, a Cromer councillor who also cleaned up some of the litter on her dog walk, said she often carried a bin bag for litter collection while walking on the beach.

She said: "How can people fill a beautiful, completely clean beach with litter in three days with no thought of the danger to children, dogs and wildlife? I am lost for words."

Callum Ringer, environmental services portfolio holder, said: "We are blessed with so many miles of beautiful beaches in North Norfolk, and we would just ask that you leave it as you find it, and take your waste to the nearest bin, or if they are full and waiting to be collected, take it home."

A council spokesman said: "While there was no monetary cost to the additional crew being diverted to clean it up, it did mean that there were service pressures at other locations."

Local authorities have the power to issue on-the-spot fixed penalty notices for littering beaches, ranging from £80 to £1,000.

Do you have a story suggestion for Norfolk? Contact us below.

Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.