Local resident have been left furious after beachgoers to Whitby left behind a trail of rubbish in their wake. One local resident slammed the mess, saying: "I can’t understand why people think it’s OK."
Dirty nappies, fish and chips, ketchup sachets and wipes were among the rubbish to be strews across the seaside town on one of the hottest days of the year on Monday (July 11). In February, the town council approved the new litter squad to be made up of seasonal employees, with the crew operating throughout the spring to prepare the waterfront for the summer tourist season.
Angry residents have hit out at visitors, though, after one woman collected a "huge bag and several plastic buckets and spades" from the beach below the pier. Bags of rubbish were also left tied to the rails at the West Pier.
"I was metal detecting and gave up because there was so much rubbish," said Deborah Taylor Dyer. "At least 10 cans, fish and chip boxes etc were all over by the little cave. And this was just one area. It was dreadful."
"It was really bad," she said. "It was literally like [people] had just vanished from being on the beach. One area was just takeaway food boxes, ketchup sachets. Mushy pea and curry sauce pots and nearly 20 empty canned drinks. Another area, dirty nappies and wipes. I could go on. It was very sad to see."
Locals have branded the behaviour "shocking" on social media. "Thank you for picking it up," one person posted on The Real Whitby Facebook Group.. "I collect most mornings on my run. It’s awful. I can’t understand why people think it’s okay."
"It's disgusting," another poster said. "If you can carry there you can carry it out. No excuse." "Takes two minutes to tidy up after yourself," another person added. "Get a grip and take your rubbish to a bin."
"Individual vinegar packets are my gripe," one woman wrote. "I pick loads up, it’s a shame people can’t be entrusted with a bottle on the counter any more."
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