A KEEN sea swimmer is urging Dorset residents to sign a petition he has set up against plastic pollution.

The online petition to Parliament calls for a national awareness day to be established drawing people's attention to the effects of plastic in the oceans.

Dorset resident Patrick Howie said: "As I swim I see fish, crabs and different shells, maybe a lobster and giant jellyfish.

"Then I see lost footballs floating away which I sometimes manage to rescue.

"Then I see the debris - the cans and crisp packets, the glass and plastic. Boy, so much plastic of every shape and size.

"Experts say that within a few years, unless we change, there will be more plastic in the sea than marine life. And it’s getting into the food chain, tiny particles appearing in our food."

He said the awareness day would see people come together to "create a cordon of sea protection festivals around coastal counties".

To sign the petition visit petition.parliament.uk/petitions/202198

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