Debris and rubbish on Britain's beaches

The quality of the bathing water at our seaside resorts has been getting better every year. But, our beaches just keep getting dirtier.

Not all of it is rubbish left by visitors either. The vast majority of the debris that ends up on our beaches is washed ashore. The biggest offenders being plastics, fishing nets and other waste thrown overboard by ships and boats.

The timber that washed ashore in Kent last week was from a Russian cargo ship that lost 1,500 tons of its sawn timber load in rough seas. Large amounts of the wood eventually came ashore on the coastline between Pegwell Bay, Ramsgate and Margate.

Incidents such as this only add to the problem with the amount of rubbish found on our beaches increasing in recent years. Plastic litter on the UK's beaches is up by a staggering 126% since 1994, according to the Marine Conservation Society’s (MCS) most recent beachwatch survey.

Conservationists blame the increase on the massive rise in plastic production and the general 'throwaway nature of modern society'. They warn that as well as putting off tourists, the litter is also a threat to wildlife.

See the gallery below to find out more about why Britain's beaches are so dirty and the damage it is posing to wildlife.