Shocking images capture the level of litter left on this and two other Welsh beaches after thousands headed to them to enjoy the hot weather
Visitors and locals were left horrified by the amount of rubbish abandoned on popular beaches across Wales following the May bank holiday weekend.
As temperatures soared to levels comparable to the Mediterranean, thousands flocked to coastal hotspots including Langland Bay, Coney Beach and Rhos-on-Sea to enjoy the sunshine. However, the scenes left behind have sparked outrage, with overflowing bins, discarded barbecues, broken bottles and piles of litter strewn across beaches and sand dunes.
Lee-Ann Thomas, who visited Langland Bay on Tuesday morning (May 26), described the aftermath as “the worst” she had ever seen. “The beach was literally covered – it’s the worst I’ve seen,” she said.
“I consider myself a local. I was born in Swansea and grew up visiting beaches like Langland, Caswell, Three Cliffs and Pobbles. Although I moved away for university and work, we still visit several times a year and usually stay in Langland overlooking the beach.
“On Tuesday morning I could see litter from our balcony, but it wasn’t until I came down to the beach that I realised how widespread it was. It looked like there had been a festival. I was utterly disgusted and heartbroken that people think it’s okay to treat a beautiful beach like this.”
Ms Thomas said larger bins near the beach steps were overflowing, with rubbish piled beside them, despite smaller bins along the walkway not being full.
“I feel littering has been getting worse,” she added. “There have been a lot of young people on the beach in the evenings and fires burning, but I don’t believe they created all the mess.”
Unable to ignore the scenes, Ms Thomas began collecting rubbish herself using abandoned carrier bags she found on the beach. “The first thing I did was take photos, then I started filling up bags with rubbish and carrying them to the bins,” she said. “I filled nine bags before someone told me the council had arrived.”
Amongst the waste collected were soft drinks cans, alcohol bottles – some smashed – takeaway containers, half-eaten food, vapes, tissues, towels, clothing and disposable barbecues.
“Some of this junk will have washed out to sea,” she said. “If you have litter, whether it’s takeaway packaging or something you brought with you, put it in a bin or take it home. It’s your responsibility to clean up after yourself.”
Similar scenes were reported in Porthcawl, where crowds gathered at Coney Beach and Newton Beach during the bank holiday weekend. Overflowing bins, abandoned plastic bottles, cans and barbecue waste were left scattered across the shoreline.
Local litter-picking group, Porthcawl Wombles, said they were working alongside Bridgend County Borough Council to tackle the growing problem.
On Coney Beach and Newton Beach, the group found bags of litter in their dozens surrounding already overflowing bins. Plastic bottles and cans were also found strewn across the sand.
In a statement, the group said: “We are working in collaboration with Bridgend Council and we do not blame them. But we are blaming the teenagers coming down drinking alcohol and mindless families leaving all their beach stuff and nappies behind.
“We need bins on beaches, enforcement, fines, signage and police patrols in the evenings.” For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here
Meanwhile, residents in Rhos-on-Sea also reported overflowing bins and litter strewn across nearby sand dunes, with one person stating that there was “so much” litter on the beach, noting that there was more than they could take pictures of.
The mounting frustration of locals was echoed by councils.
A spokesperson from Swansea Council said: “Like our other beaches, Langland Bay beach is cleaned every morning and litter teams have been on duty in the area throughout the bank holiday.
“We are working extremely hard over the summer to keep our beaches clean and we’ve recruited 13 extra staff to help us do that. So it’s disappointing to see the condition it’s sometimes left in by a minority of selfish individuals.
“We are playing our part to keep beaches clean and it’s frustrating that there are people who are making this task even harder. If you are visiting the beach, please use litter bins provided, and if litter bins are full then please take your rubbish home with you.”
A Bridgend County Borough Council spokesman, added: “Coney Beach is cleansed daily by our council staff and we would also like to thank volunteers and community groups such as the Wombles for their support in keeping our coastline and beaches clean and safe for everyone to enjoy.
“Additional litter bins have been installed in the area and while they can fill up quickly, they are also emptied on a regular basis by our crews.
“We regularly encourage all visitors to dispose of their litter and waste appropriately or to consider taking home where possible. It’s also important that any disposable barbecues are not left on our beaches as these can remain warm for many hours after use and are a risk to other visitors. These can be placed in our fireproof barbecue bins.”
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