More than 20 tonnes of rubbish left on beach in heatwave

More than 20 tonnes of rubbish had to be removed from the beach in Brighton after the bank holiday weekend, according to the city council.

Thousands descended on the East Sussex coast as temperatures reached their highest point so far this year – above the average for May.

But bins were left overflowing, with glass bottles, plastic bags and food containers discarded on the shingle beach on Tuesday.

Brighton & Hove City Council said that its clean up team had been "out in force" and that it was important that "anyone visiting our beach does all they can to dispose of their rubbish responsibly".

David McGregor, cabinet member for economy, culture, heritage and tourism, said: "There is no city better than Brighton and Hove when the sun is shining, and that was on full effect this weekend.

"We welcome millions of visitors every year and tourism plays a huge part in our local economy."

McGregor added: "It is important, however, that anyone visiting our beach does all they can to dispose of their rubbish responsibly. That includes taking it home with them if they can't find room in one of our bins.

"Our teams work incredibly hard keeping the seafront looking its best, and they were out in force at the weekend, clearing more than 20 tonnes of waste."

Last summer, council clean-up teams removed more than 24 tonnes of rubbish that had been discarded on the beach over the course of two busy weekends in June.

Among the "mammoth piles of waste" left behind, staff found shoes, beach inflatables, children's toys and even a kayak, the council said.