MOUNDS of rubbish were left scattered across the beach during one of the hottest weekends of the year.

Thousands descended on Brighton seafront as temperatures rocketed to 32C, but many left litter strewn across the pebbles.

Dr Chloe Peacock was met with piles of abandoned plastic bags full of litter as well as cans, plastic bottles, takeaway boxes and more when she visited the beach early on Saturday morning.

She shared images of the shocking scene on social media, saying: “The on-the-spot fines working well then?

The Argus:

“(I) went for a swim at 8am today as this is the only time I feel it’s safe for locals before the hordes descend.”

Brighton and Hove City Council reintroduced on-the-spot fines for littering in June as beaches began to become busier with the easing of lockdown measures.

Enforcement officers are ordered to slap anyone caught dropping litter, not clearing it up or not disposing of it properly with a £150 charge.

Anyone caught fly-tipping will receive a £400 fine.

The Argus:

But Dr Peacock urged the council to do more to stop visitors dumping their rubbish on Brighton beach.

She said: “Leaving rubbish like this is detrimental to the environment and unsafe.

“The council and businesses on the beach need to step up another gear. On-the-spot fines don’t appear to be working.”

The Argus:

The Argus visited Brighton beach shortly after 7am today to see if the selfish actions of litter louts were repeated, with disappointing results.

Broken glass was scattered along several areas of the seafront with towels, folding chairs and the usual food and drink containers left discarded across the pebbles.

Cityclean crews were already working along the promenade, but they faced an uphill task with a series of overflowing bins surrounded by glass bottles and plastic bags crammed with waste lying in front of them.

The Argus:

This is not the first time litter louts have proved to be a major problem in Brighton and Hove this summer.

On June 25, following another busy day on the beach in which warm weather drew people to the pebbles, more than 11 tonnes of rubbish was cleared from the city’s seafront and parks by the council’s Cityclean staff.

It took teams more than five hours to clear waste from a 600 metre stretch of the beach.

This was the highest total ever recorded, the council confirmed.

The Argus:

Items including a tent, glass alcohol bottles, laughing gas canisters and even one of the BTN BikeShare scheme’s bicycles were discarded on Brighton’s signature stones as revellers failed to clear up after themselves.

At the time, a council spokeswoman told The Argus the authority’s staff had been “stretched to the limit” by the “massive amount of rubbish and waste that’s being left on our seafront”.

The Argus:

In recent months, 40 new signs have been installed on the seafront warning visitors they face a £150 fine if they do not bin their rubbish or take it home.

Large seafront bins have also been placed along the promenade to offer more places to dispose of litter.