VOLUNTEERS helped clear 26 bags of rubbish from North Berwick’s East Beach last Saturday.

The event, supported by the Scottish Seabird Centre, Scottish Coastal Clean Up and Clean Coast Outer Hebrides, saw hard-working volunteers collect 315.75kg of rubbish in nearly six hours.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Seabird Centre said: ““The Scottish Seabird Centre teamed up with Caledonian Horticulture's the Scottish Coastal Cleanup and Clean Coast Outer Hebrides on Saturday 2 March for a group beach clean in North Berwick. The aim of the event was to tackle the large amount of litter that’s been deposited on North Berwick’s beaches in the winter storms. Emma Marriott, Conservation Assistant for the Seabird Centre said: “We were thrilled to work with such a wonderful group of people and that so many volunteers signed up to join us.

"Despite the cold weather, it was a fantastic atmosphere. We even had help from walkers on the beach who wanted to lend a hand and provide extra tools!

"A group of us stayed on long into the afternoon as we tackled a huge heap of tangled fishing gear, which had been sitting on the East beach for weeks. After nearly six hours, we removed an impressive 315.75kg of rubbish, which was mainly microplastics and rope!

"There is still a lot of litter on the beach—not all of it obvious—which is why we’ll be running even more beach cleans throughout the spring and summer. We hope people can join us, it really is a rewarding way to spend a few hours.”