A volunteer-led campaign to clean up beaches around the south west has been labelled a “huge success” by organisers.

South West Conservatives organised a ‘Big Beach Clean’ on Saturday, September 15 and Sunday, September 16, joining the mission to rid the region’s coastline of plastic waste and other litter.

Local Conservatives organised or joined clean-ups at 18 locations across the south west, including Thurlestone/South Milton sands. The series of events tied in with other campaigns and projects across the region, including the ‘Great British Beach Clean’ led by the Marine Conservation Society.

Organiser of the Thurlestone/South Milton Sands beach clean, Cllr Simon Wright, said: “The South Milton and Thurlestone beach clean went very well. The weather was fabulous and we met a number of very supportive members of the public who were very happy to join us.”

Peter Booth, chairman of the South West Conservatives, said: “The Big Beach Clean was a huge success, with lots of volunteers coming together to lead or join a host of events across the region.

“The response was fantastic and I would like to thank everyone who took part, including local campaigners and groups, elected Conservatives and supporters and especially, the members of the public who responded to our appeal for help.

“The sheer amount of rubbish collected at the weekend offers a stark reminder of the scale of the problem and why we need to keep working hard to reduce and eliminate litter around our beautiful coastline.”

Environment secretary Michael Gove described the Big Beach Clean as “a fantastic initiative”.

He encouraged people to take part in beach cleans and “join our mission to leave the environment in a better state than we found it”.

Mr Gove said: “The south west has some of the most beautiful beaches anywhere and it’s vital we protect them for future generations and ensure our great coastline and wildlife are not damaged by plastic waste and other litter.

“I would like to pay tribute to the local Conservatives and the many other people and organisations in the south west who are committed to protecting our coastline and changing attitudes towards litter.”