Environmental groups and parents are backing The Argus' Keep Glass Off The Beach campaign, which was launched this week.

We decided to take action in the wake of the Fatboy Slim beach party, which left the area littered with razor-sharp glass.

Our calls for people to leave glass bottles at home when they head for the shore has caught the public imagination.

Angela Howard, regional director of The Keep Britain Tidy Campaign, said: "We certainly endorse it. Glass is something we always mention. It is a very nasty problem if you are unfortunate enough to stand on it.

"We have been concerned about it for a good many years.

"People should be more careful about discarding it, particularly on beaches which are difficult to clean."

Helen Humphries, outreach officer for the Marine Conservation Society's Adopt-a-Beach campaign, said the campaign was a sound idea.

She said: "I wrote to Brighton and Hove City Council and Fatboy Slim himself after the concert.

"The main concerns with the glass were human but it is very easy for animals to get tangled up or ingest the rubbish which gets carried out to sea."

Former Parliamentary candidate David Gold also pledged his support for The Argus campaign.

The vice-president of Brighton Pavilion Conservatives said: "Well done to The Argus for recognising the environmental damage this thoughtless behaviour causes.

"Our position as a major tourist destination has a lot to do with being a seaside city and if people think the beaches are out of bounds because of broken glass, they will find other resorts to visit.

"We need to clean up the beaches, educate visitors and residents to leave glass at home, and make sure there are adequate facilities for people to deposit and recycle their waste after visiting."

Meanwhile, an independent Goring web site has also backed our initiative.

Responding to the campaign, a message on goring-by-sea.uk.com reads: "Please, if you see a glass bottle on the beach or the green, pick it up and bin it.

"If you feel very eco-conscious you might like to pick up plastic bottles and other litter too. Keep Goring Beautiful."

A quick visit to the seafront yesterday by The Argus proved that action is still needed to ensure the safety of visitors.

Young children were braving a minefield of sharp glass shards as they played barefoot.

During a cursory search at lunchtime, we removed some 20 pieces of broken bottle, many just inches from the feet of oblivious youngsters, in under five minutes.

Aghast parents offered wholehearted support for our campaign.

We put the shards into the nearby glass recycling bins but first showed parents what we found.

Lynne Ware, 40, was on a day trip from Epsom, Surrey, with her four-year-old daughter Caitlin.

Looking at some of the glass collected, she said: "I think I have seen enough. This is really worrying."

At the nearby children's play area, parents picnicking with their youngsters were also backing our campaign.

Dozens of families were enjoying the sun with the vast majority adopting a sensible attitude bringing drink in plastic bottles.

Bob Baines, 45, from Lower Bevendean, said: "I am all for the campaign. There has always been glass on the beach.

"I remember when I was eight or nine I went to the old paddling pool when I trod on a piece and my sister took me to a first aid place."

Mr Baines was with wife Michelle, 30, and eight-year-old daughter Charly , all of whom gave The Argus' campaign the thumbs up.

Meanwhile, Justine Falkner was tucking into lunch with her mother Linda Southcott, 52, and children Joshua, four, and Rebecca, 18 months.

Mrs Falkner, 31, from Crawley, said: "We are a glass-free zone. As I have little ones, I would never bring glass."

Her mother, who lives in Horsham, added: "I would support a total ban on glass on the beach."