Litter pickers call for tourist tax to clean up beaches

A group of litter pickers are calling for a tourist tax to be introduced because the beaches are "riddled with nappies, vapes and plastic" during peak seasons.

Sophie Newton runs Sophie's Super Litter Picking, a volunteer community group who host monthly beach cleans and litter picking events in Weston-super-Mare.

They are calling upon North Somerset Council to introduce a ‘holiday tax’, where tourists get charged small fees to mitigate the negative effects of tourism and invest back into the community.

Council leader Mike Bell said there are more than 40 bins on the seafront which are emptied daily, and that action is taken against those caught littering.

Currently, councils in England cannot directly impose a tourist tax but several - including Liverpool and Manchester - have done so via a "legal workaround".

On 29 July, Ms Newton litter picked for more than two and a half hours along Weston-super-Mare's beach, walking for three miles (4.8km) and collecting 18 bags full of rubbish.

The local volunteer, who first started litter picking after moving to the area in 2012, said discarded waste on the beach has never been so bad.

The group have come across many discarded items buried in the sand or crammed between benches, including nappies, baby wipes, empty cans, kites, toys, underwear, and even a female catheter.

"More people means more rubbish," said Ms Newton.

"No one type of person or demographic is to blame. As a seaside town, we simply aren't ever prepared for the influx of visitors and unfortunately, we very much cannot afford the extra provisions required from our council tax alone."

Tourist taxes have long been the norm for many countries in Europe, such as Greece, Spain and Germany. It is often added onto the cost of accommodation, and usually ranges from between £1 to £5 per day, per person.

It is largely intended to temper over-tourism and raise funds for construction and investment in community development projects locally.

"Whilst I appreciate it will be controversial and not supported by all, it's a huge success in many European countries and the money is being used to support the local economy and tourist areas," Ms Newton added.

Mr Bell, who represents Weston-super-Mare Central ward covering the seafront and main beach, said the authority "work really hard" to keep the areas "looking their best".

“Sadly, there are people who don’t dispose of their rubbish responsibly and we do take action against those who litter," he said.

"So far this year we have issued 72 fixed penalty notices for littering in Weston, and we are increasing our patrols in the seafront area for the rest of the summer.

“We hope people enjoy their time in Weston and we ask everyone to act responsibly and leave only footprints."

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