Lazy litterbugs left 21 tonnes of rubbish on the city’s seafront this weekend.

As the mercury remained high on Saturday and Sunday, visitors again took to our world-famous seafront.

But after the 50,000 tourists had finished their ice-creams and departed the city for home, they left behind a grim reminder of their fun day in the sun – the equivalent of one-week’s worth of the rubbish from 1,000 homes.

Nappies, beer cans, plastic bags and even a portable barbecue and chair were collected by cleaners.

Brighton and Hove City Council normally employs 20 seasonal cleaning staff to collect and remove rubbish from the beach at this time of year.

But town hall bosses have been forced to draft in a further 10 litter pickers to cope.

Next week on Monday, July 29, our Take It Home campaign will swing into action with a Big Beach Clean-up operation.

The Argus is teaming up with Brighton and Hove City Council, as well as a number of local businesses including the Sea Life Centre, Southern Water, Donatello restaurant, Fugu PR, Legal and General and Simon Kirby MP, to clean the beach after a heaving weekend of tourists.

Our aim is to preserve the beach – our city’s greatest attraction – and keep it clean and pristine.

Mike Weatherley, MP for Hove and Portslade, has tabled a number of written parliamentary questions asking what ministers have done to tackle the litter problem.

He said: “Litter is a big problem right across the country.

“Unfortunately, an army of litterbugs defy conventional wisdom of using bins and instead simply use our streets and outdoor spaces.

“The wonderful beaches of Brighton and Hove, for example, have recently been plagued by beachgoers leaving mountains of litter.

“I hope that my ministerial colleagues will be leading the way in keeping Britain tidy.”

If you’re an individual or a business and want to take part in the Big Beach Clean-up, e-mail takeithome@theargus.co.uk with your details.

All cleaning equipment will be provided free of charge on the day of the clean.

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