Returning Kent’s shoreline to its heyday of the 1950s and 1960s before we became a throw-away society is the goal this weekend.

Our current disposable carelessness towards litter has resulted in thousands of pieces of waste, including vast amounts of plastic, blighting every kilometre of our coastline, say organisers the Marine Conservation Society.

It hopes that people who love the coast around Kent will take part in the Great British Beach Clean between Friday, September 19 and Monday, September 22, which includes clean-ups at Deal, Herne Bay and Sheerness, among others.

Organiser Tom Bell said: “Our domestic habits over the last 50 years or so have resulted in dirty beaches.

We throw more stuff away than ever. Plastic in the marine environment may take hundreds of years to break down and it washes up or is blown onto beaches in bits from micro pieces to larger chunks.

He added: “We want to see people turning out to clean up their favourite bays – please don’t turn your back on our beaches.”

WHICH BEACH WILL YOU CLEAN?
THANET: Pegwell Bay, Plumpudding, Princess Parade, Viking Bay, Walpole Bay, Grenham Bay, Epple Bay, St Mildred’s Bay
WHITSTABLE: Seasalter, Long Rock
HERNE BAY: East beach and Studd Hill
SHEPPEY: Sheerness and Shellness
DEAL: Main beach with pier
HYTHE: Princes Parade
DOVER: Shakespeare

To find out dates and times at individual beaches and to sign up, register at www.mcsuk.org/greatbritishbeachclean or call 01989 567807.