THIS Spring, community campaign Litter Free Coast & Sea Somerset (LFCSS) shares five ways you can help protect your local coastlines from litter and pollution.

With rubbish on our beaches now an all too common sight, what can you do to help tackle the problem? Communities in Somerset are taking action, with a number of local groups already working on litter picks as well as campaigning to stop the litter at source.

Here are five simple actions you can take, both out at the beach and at home, to reduce litter and protect water quality:

1. When visiting the beach, always clear up after your dog – dog faeces contains harmful bacteria which can be dangerous to our bathing waters.

2. Always pick up all your rubbish at the end of your visit and if the bins are full take it home with you.

3. Join a local beach clean group. There are a number of active groups around Somerset including the Friends of Burnham Beach and the Friends of Berrow Beach, as well as local Plastic Free Community groups who organise beach cleans throughout the year. There are also litter picking groups you can join further inland!

4. At home, avoid flushing anything other than the 3P’s (pee, paper and poo!) and don’t pour fats, oils and greases down the drain. Otherwise, you might contribute to the build up of ‘fatbergs’ in pipes which can result in overflows and wrongly flushed items can end up littering our beaches.

5. Spread the word to your family and friends! Although these actions may seem small, taking them on board will help keep Somerset’s beaches clean for everyone to enjoy.

LFCSS is a local project working to protect bathing water quality and reduce beach and marine litter in Somerset by encouraging local communities to consider their own impacts on water quality and litter.

Whilst LFCSS project work is currently focused on Minehead, Porlock, Blue Anchor & Dunster, the key messages are important across the whole county - even actions further inland can have serious impacts on our coasts.

Visit the LFCSS website (www.litterfreecoastandsea.co.uk/somerset/) to find out more about how you can help protect your local coastline, or get in touch at litterfreesomerset@gmail.com.

Follow LFCSS on Social Media for regular updates on projects and campaigns: Facebook: Litter Free Somerset, Twitter: @LFCSSomerset.

LFCSS is the flagship project of the Severn Estuary Partnership, which is hosted by Cardiff University, with support from Wessex Water, the Environment Agency and Sedgemoor District Council.

Written by Daisy Blyth, Litter Free Coast & Sea Somerset