VOLUNTEERS from environmental group Dawlish Against Plastic carried out their first beach clean of the year.

They discovered an amount of debris thrown up by recent storms and 15 volunteers collected 17.7kgs of general waste and 1.2kg of recyclable waste, mostly found on the roads approaching the beaches.

Among the haul was a tyre and pieces of twisted metal.

A spokesman for the group said: ‘It is easy to assume that the summer's litter will mean that we pick up more during the summer months.

‘In fact the sea throws up more human rubbish on to the beaches during winter storms than we generally find in the summer.

‘Many thanks to our dedicated team, most of whom rarely miss any beach clean dates.

‘We are always happy to welcome new people.’