The Three Towns Clean Up Crew have taken part in The Marine Conservation Society’s annual Great British Beach Clean that ran at the end of last month.

Volunteers taking part helped the environmental charity to gather data which contributes to a global database as part of the International Coastal Clean-up.

The group were out at Saltcoats Harbour and Ardrossan South Beach as part of the weekend activity from September 17-26.

A grand total of 1,738 items of litter were removed from the harbour, including three chairs, a sun lounger and a Sky disc.

On South Beach, two bags of litter and some recyclables were removed.

The beach had less litter than previously due to the amount of work of various groups this Summer, as part of Keep Scotland Beautiful’s MyBeachYourBeach campaign.

A spokesperson from the Crew told the Herald: “We have also been well supported by Streetscene throughout both campaigns.

“If anyone locally thinks their area needs litter picked, please get in touch through our Facebook page.

“If any group wants to do their own event, we have equipment available for loan, as part of the Community Hub sponsored by KSB and MCS.”

At last year’s Great British Beach Clean, volunteers collected 151,422 litter items, filling 685 bin bags with 3,132kg of rubbish.

Lizzie Prior, Beachwatch Officer at the Marine Conservation Society said: “The Great British Beach Clean is a fantastic opportunity to make a real difference. Not only do volunteers help keep the UK’s beaches beautiful and litter-free, they collect vital data on what’s polluting our environment.

“We’ve used data collected in the past to campaign for carrier bag charges and single-use plastic bans, all of which have led to a reduction in litter on our beaches.”