MILLIONS of visitors drawn by the lure of Brighton and Hove’s beach, bars and attractions this summer are being encouraged to leave the city as they find it.

The message comes after council staff cleared an astounding 45 tonnes of waste, the equivalent of six elephants, over the bank holiday weekend.

Councillors and environmentalists say visitors will always be welcome but have asked them to show greater consideration for the mess they leave behind which could be dangerous to beachgoers, wildlife and the environment.

Several initiatives are launching this summer to help reduce seafront litter, including reducing the use of plastic straws by seafront bars.

Surfers Against Sewage are leading on the plastic-free pledge which already has 11 venues signed up.

The charity’s Brighton representative Claire Potter said: “You would only use the straw for about 20 minutes but it could be around for 600 years. We’re asking people to refuse a straw and we’ve also got some bars signing up, like The Tempest, to not offer them, so if visitors help, venues help, then hopefully everybody can tackle this issue.”

Miss Potter said beachgoers should be aware of the risks of leaving dangerous metals and broken glass as well as litter that might be eaten by seagulls or get washed into the sea.

She is encouraging visitors to use seafront bins and recycling areas and pick up fellow beachgoers’ litter if they see it has been left behind.

She said: “Some people do seem to have the attitude that there will be someone to clean up after them. But we are also seeing a lot of people becoming more aware of the potential for it to wash into the ocean. There are a lot of people who are stepping up and saying ‘are you going to pick that up’ if they see someone leave stuff behind.”

Council beach cleaning teams get to work in the early hours of every morning to clear the beach, meaning many residents never get to see it at its worst.

Miss Potter said: “Just because people leave the beach at four or five o’clock, there are still people on the beach or coming to the beach. It is only late at night and early morning that you see the real extent of what has been left behind. But then the magic fairy comes along to clear it all away.

“If people understood the amount picked up over the whole summer they would be quite shocked and would hopefully consider how not to be part of that problem.”

Councillor Gill Mitchell, environment committee chairwoman, said: “We always welcome our weekend visitors and provide extra staff and bins on the seafront but we would just ask that they help to keep our beautiful beaches clean by using the bins or taking their litter home with them.

“It is such a simple thing to pick up the rubbish and pop it in a bin or take it home.”