SEA LITTER is costing coastal communities like Newlyn, Penzance and St Ives millions of pounds a year.
A new report shows that the cost of dealing with marine rubbish has shot up dramatically in the last decade. The project by KIMO international, which took two years to research, shows that costs have risen by as much as 83 per cent in some areas. It estimates that local authorities in the UK spend more than £15 million a year clearing up beach litter, an increase of almost 40 per cent over the past ten years.
The report, which is one of the first to highlight the economic impact of sea litter, also found that the RNLI carried out 286 rescues to vessels with propellers fouled by rubbish in UK waters in 2008. KIMO International secretariat John Mouat said: "At a time when municipalities are facing financial cuts, the cost of dealing with marine litter is an unwanted extra burden. I hope that this study will encourage policy makers to take strong action to reduce marine litter."
Article copyright THE CORNISHMAN