VOLUNTEERS’ efforts were anything but a load of rubbish when they gave Weston Mouth, near Sidmouth, a spring clean last Thursday.

Litter-pickers filled 12 bin liners when the Co-operative Membership team for East Devon joined forces with the National Trust to stage a beach tidy-up and picnic.

Scores of discarded plastic bottles and fishing gear like rope and nets were collected from the secluded stretch of coastline.

The family event was organised to help improve the coastal habitat for plants and animals and to prepare the popular beach ahead of the busy tourist season. It was the first time the Co-operative supported the National Trust’s annual programme of beach clean events.

Sue Myers, a National Trust warden, said: “It’s the perfect time to start cleaning our beaches as the worst of the winter storms are over and visitors are arriving for the holiday season.”

Gareth Dempster, from the Co-operative, added: “Eveyone saw how worthwhile it was.”

He picked up a shoe, traffic cone and an aerosol can with Egyptian writing on it.

Co-operative members were given a tour of The Donkey Sanctuary before the event as a thank-you.

The Elisabeth Svendsen Trust, now merged with the sanctuary, received a �2,000 donation from the Co-operative’s community fund last year, and scooped a further �2,000 when members voted it top in a special vote.