Sedgemoor District Council has this week defended its beach cleaning policy in Burnham-On-Sea after several walkers expressed concern at the amount of debris left piled on the sand over the weekend.
One local resident wrote on Burnham-On-Sea.com’s forum: “Our district council’s idea of a clean beach and looking after the environment is to once again dump a lorry load of debris, bottles, plastic, wood etc on the beach, rather than removing it to landfill as any responsible individual who cares about our surroundings would.”
But Sedgemoor District Council spokeswoman Claire Faun told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “This is a time of year, with high tides and extreme weather, when there is a lot of debris washed up on the beach from the sea. We get a contractor to gather waste, which is mostly natural materials – seaweed, branches, wood. Inevitably, there is also other normal beach waste and debris that is washed up on the beach. “
“Our contractor moved some waste along the beach at the weekend to clear an access point. Dependent on the amount and composition of wasted collected together, we usually either let nature take its course and the materials get washed back out to sea to be broken down naturally; or if there is a lot of non-biodegradable material mixed in, or if there are large amounts due to storm damage, we will remove it.”
“We are inspecting today to assess which is the best course of action, given that the weather forecast gives a more settled week ahead.”
