A HUGE amount of plastic cups, crisp packets and more was dumped by beach-goers as they soaked up the sun on Brighton seafront.

It took a team of council workers five hours to clear the debris from just a 600 metre stretch of beach.

From Brighton Marina to Hove Lawns, there is about three miles of beach.

The waste was discarded by people who had made a bee-line for the seafront as the mercury skyrocketed, with the UK hit with 30C heat.

The Argus:

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokeswoman said: "A small minority spoil our beautiful beaches, cities and countryside by leaving their rubbish behind

"Don't be that person.

"Do the right thing and find a bin that isn't full or take your litter home.

"Our staff start at 5am. Yesterday, it took six of them five hours to clear rubbish on the beach from Brighton Pier to West Street.

The Argus:

"People should think about how long it takes other people to clean up after them."

"Please find a bin that isn't full or take your rubbish home with you."

Yesterday morning, waste including vodka bottles and laughing gas canisters was also left scattered across Hove Lawns after a huge gathering of young people on Wednesday evening.

The group was dispersed by police after officers responded to reports of fighting.

The Argus:

The force said "no violence was witnessed" but the gathering left its mark on the public green, with one passerby describing the site as having been "trashed".

Brighton and Hove City Council is now installing 40 signs on Brighton and Hove seafront to deter people from littering in the area.

They will warn visitors that they face a £150 on-the-spot fine if they are caught littering by seafront officers, who will be patrolling the beach from 9am to 7pm every day.

The Argus:

Councillor Anne Pissaridou, chairwoman of the council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee, said: "Everyone loves our beach, so we must all take responsibility for keeping it clean and litter free.

"We hope these signs will be a reminder and a deterrent to people not to drop or leave litter on the seafront.

"Our beach teams work incredibly hard from early morning to late evening, removing litter from the beach, but they cannot be on every part of the seven miles of seafront every minute clearing up after people.

The Argus:

"The sad fact is waste that’s left on the beach can easily end up in the sea, which then pollutes our environment and destroys our marine life.

"The only way to change that is for people to be responsible and dispose of their rubbish sensibly."