ST ANNES beach is along one of the most polluted shorelines in the country, according to a nationwide survey by Readers Digest.

Researchers for Beachwatch '97 found a five per cent increase in litter on Britain's beaches, with beaches in the North West such as St Annes beach among the worst affected.

Pollution on the St Annes sands ranged from 2.6 to 14.4 items of litter per metre during the past four years, with seasonal weather conditions responsible for the variations.

The last count on St Annes beach indicated a decrease in litter, but the quantity of debris was still unacceptably above the national average.

Overall in the North West more than 25,700 litter items were collected from beaches.

And for the the fourth year running, holiday-makers and daytrippers were found to be the worst offenders, being responsible for 26 per cent of all the litter recorded in the North West.

Julian Parr, Beachwatch '97 officer, said: "Tourist-type litter mainly consists of throwaway packaging and drink cans which are all on the increase."

However, tourists are not the only culprits.

Ships are also guilty of off-loading their waste into the sea, which inevitably gets washed up on our shores.

Sewage-related debris recorded in the North West was four times the national average and is far worse than in any other region, making sewage-related debris the second largest source of litter on the coast.

Among the more interesting finds were a shampoo bottle from Croatia, a shower gel bottle from Holland and a traffic cone.

Samantha Pollard, conservation officer at the Marine Conservation Society, said: "We must start taking full responsibility for the correct disposal of waste.

"Ships must stop dumping overboard and individuals must not drop litter or flush away plastic bathroom waste.

"If we don't take action now, we will continue to see increasing costs, not only to man but also to wildlife."

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