VOLUNTEERS have launched an urgent appeal to help them clear 40 years’ worth of rubbish from a beauty spot.

The group from Bhassexplore are working to bag up the waste at the foot of cliffs between Birling Gap and Cow Gap.

The volunteers have gathered dozens of bags of rubbish, much of it washed up on the beach. It includes tyres, scrap metal, and dozens of flip flops lost by those walking on cliffs above or on beaches nearby.

The group now wants to hire a boat to take the waste away from the area to stop the sea being polluted.

But they only have a short summer window before rough seas will make the clean-up job impossible. They cannot use the stairs because of coronavirus restrictions.

In a promotional video the group said: “Fifty years of trash has been washing up on this coastline and we are going to clean it up, but we need your support.”

“This is an urgent plea as we only have a six-week window in which to remove the waste before the challenging weather and tidal conditions are against us.

“The site of the rubbish is midway between Birling Gap and Cow Gap, each a 90-minute risky walk away and a steep climb up the cliffs. If we cant move this now it may languish for another century, blighting our beloved shores.”

For more information visit bhassexpplore.com.