Hartlepool Life photographer Michael Gant captured these images of townsfolk removing litter from the beach.
The clean-up was organised by Heritage Coast Partnership, who thanked all the volunteers for taking part.
A spokesperson said: “We marked World Oceans Day with a beach clean at Crimdon beach on Sunday, not only to remove litter but also to celebrate our beautiful coastline. What an amazing turnout we had, including Durham Wildlife Trust volunteers, families, residents and even some four-legged friends lending a paw along the way.”
They added: “This fantastic group removed 28 bags of litter from the beach, dunes, and car park. A huge thank you to all our wonderful volunteers who help to keep our beaches and seas litter-free all year round! In the last year alone, we have removed over 2,484 bags of litter from the coast, with support from volunteers. Around half of the UK’s wildlife lives in the sea, our volunteers work so hard to get all these items off our coast before they cause any further damage to the marine environment.”
Readers can follow Heritage Coast Partnership and Durham Wildlife Trust and find out about upcoming events and beach cleans at www.durhamwt.com/events.
