It was a record-breaking May Bank Holiday weekend in Bournemouth. 

Tourism experts say around 200,000 people flocked to the area to enjoy the beaches, sun and three-day weekend.

But, as is becoming all too predictable after such a busy weekend, the beaches were left strewn with litter.

A petition has now been started by Bournemouth resident, Jane Cooper, calling on the councils to take more notice of the problem.

Writing on the change.org site, she says: "The beaches along Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch are beautiful, yet at the end of each sunny weekend they are coated in litter, the bins are over flowing with single use plastics, with packaging on the sand and being washed into the sea. 

"This is cleared up before many see it and sent off to land fill.

"Plastic free coastlines is an initiative by Surfers Against Sewage which, when signed up, means that the councils and towns need to move away from single use plastics - cups, cutlery, plastic bottles and bags - and move towards biodegradable alternatives.  

"Sign this petition to show the Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch Councils (soon to be merged as one) that we want to see our towns join the Surfers Against Sewage movement for Plastic Free Coastlines - https://www.sas.org.uk/plasticfreecoastlines/"