A South Hams club took a weekend away from their usual routine activities to do their bit in helping to tackle ocean pollution.

A group of about 30 Salcombe Yacht Club cadets put off sailing for the weekend to lend a hand in removing rubbish from the shores of the estuary.

Children and parents alike met at The Watch House and were ferried to Ox Point in ‘The Bag’. Armed with equipment provided by Nigel Mortimer from the estuaries office of the South Devon AONB, the aim was to collect and record plastic waste as well as a general rubbish collection.

Cadet leader Andrew Groves said: “Upon arrival the shore looked to be fairly clear of rubbish, however it did not require much effort to uncover a large amount of plastic waste that was caught up in the overhanging trees and bushes.

“There was a significant amount of string and rope that was wrapped around trees and copious amounts of small pieces of polystyrene, bottle tops, and fishing tackle.

“The cadets soon managed to fill upwards of 10 very large plastic sacks.”

Jayne Morris, sailing coordinator for SYC explains that the cadets are “regular users” of the estuary with Saturday morning sailing from May to October, and a growing number of them now racing on a Saturday afternoon, “so something back to the local area is important and helps them appreciate just what a magnificent place they sail in.”

Jayne said: “With the clean-up morning set to become an annual event, it will be interesting to see if plastic pollution on our shores starts to visibly reduce over the next few years.”