MORE than 180 youngsters marched along the promenade yesterday in a bid to highlight the perils of littering and pollution at Bournemouth Beach.

The pupils, from Bethany Junior School, created quite a stir with their colourful banners and fancy dress costumes.

Many dressed up as sea creatures, as did a number of school staff, to reinforce their important message.

Bethany Junior School Year 3 leader Jo Wilson told the Daily Echo: "Our topic at the moment is all about the sea and we have a big question that we are trying to answer - does the sea need saving?

"So they've been looking at how before humans existed the sea functioned by itself, and because of humans we now have problems in the sea."

Environmental issues the children have been studying in class include the problem posed by plastics in the ocean, sewerage issues and other environmental concerns

Mrs Wilson said: "We've been doing lots of different things, we did an afternoon beach clean earlier this year and quite a lot of children took part.

"We're also having an under the sea dance next week, or the week afterwards, when they will dress up in their costumes."

Money raised by that event will go towards the charity Surfers Against Sewage, which is committed to empowering young people to find innovative solutions to the litter problem blighting the world's seas.

"We have six classes here today, and obviously parents and other adults. We're marching up and down for half an hour or so," said Mrs Wilson. "They've made their own placards and banners as well."

According to the latest statistics from Surfers Against Sewage an estimated eight million pieces of plastic are entering the oceans every day."