THE Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) group is calling for 20,000 volunteers to take part in a record-breaking 550 community beach cleans across the UK this spring - and many of Dorset's beaches are among them.

Clean-ups are scheduled for Bournemouth beach, Baiter, Saltern's Beach and at Kimmeridge Bay.

Government experts's recently issued a stark projection for the future of the world's seas - that ocean plastic is set to treble, to 16 trillion items, by 2025. So SAS members say now is the time for people to "come together to tackle this scourge of the seas."

Volunteers taking part in this year's Big Spring Beach Clean will also be asked to record items recovered from beaches online.

SAS head of community and engagement Dom Ferris said: "The scene is set and all that remains is for you to donate your time to the cause. The great news is that SAS beach cleans are also really fun, community spirited events. And with 62 beach cleans taking place from Le Braye in Jersey, to Hastings, there's sure to be plenty to chose from near you."

In the last decade, SAS's Big Spring Clean initiative has continued to grow.

Environment Agency area director Richard Stockdale said: "We are delighted to support our partner Surfers Against Sewage in the Big Spring Beach Clean. If you love where you live then I encourage you to get involved, like so many of Team EA are, myself included. Spend some time outside with friends, family or colleagues and help make your part of the world a greater place."

Meanwhile, an SAS spokesman said: "Surfers Against Sewage believe that this year is different. This year there is light at the end of the tunnel in the journey towards plastic free coastlines, a light that recently became an explosion of 'ocean plastic awareness' thanks to the 'Attenborough effect' of Blue Planet 2.

"The Big Spring Beach Clean will convert this explosion of awareness into positive action by asking each of SAS’s volunteers to record and share the presence of millions of items of ‘avoidable plastics’ with the Government's treasury consultation on single-use plastics, as well as removing and recycling thousands of kilos of marine debris."

Avoidable plastics include plastic bottles, cups and cartons; coffee cups and lids; plastic cutlery and straws; plastic bags, balloons, and fast food containers.

The SAS spokesman added: "Using the hashtags #AvoidablePlastics and #PlasticFreeCoastlines, this mass data collection will provide the Government with ‘Un-Avoidable’ evidence of the urgent need to introduce upstream solutions to reduce single-use plastic."

The Big Spring Beach Clean takes place from April 7-15. Visit sas.org.uk to find you nearest event.