Volunteers were not deterred by the blustery winds on Sunday when they aided a clean-up of Sidmouth beach.

Helpers collected 15 bags of micro plastics, consisting of degraded bottles and bottle tops.

The Big Spring Clean is a national campaign by Surfers Against Sewage (SAS).

SAS regional representative, Ross Curwen, said: “We had 15 volunteers which, considering it was horribly windy, was quite a nice turnout.

“There have been some big tides which might have taken some of the rubbish back into the sea. There was enough micro plastic to do damage to wildlife and the marine environment.”

He added that it was nice to see new some faces helping to keep the beach clean among the regular volunteers.

SAS also held a beach clean in Beer on Saturday.