A new group has been launched in Burnham-On-Sea to tackle dog fouling on the town’s beach.
Called ‘Burnham Pooper Troopers’, the community group has been set up by volunteers to try and reduce the amount of waste.
“It has come together to take action on dog fouling and help keep our beaches and bathing waters clean,” said a spokesperson.
“The ‘Burnham Pooper Troopers’ will be out on our shores soon, making sure the beaches and surrounding areas in Burnham-On-Sea are kept clean for everyone to enjoy.”
Harriet Yates-Smith, right, who is running the independent Litter Free Coast and Sea community campaign, said: “The group is full of passionate, responsible dog owners who don’t want to see poo on their beach anymore.”
The new group held its first trial run over the past week, between Marine Cove and the Sailing Club, and picked up six sets of discarded dog waste – a figure that it said was “disapppointing.”
Harriet wants to harness Burnham’s community spirit to reduce marine litter and improve the bathing water quality by encouraging people to consider and reduce their own impacts on water quality through targeted campaigns, events and education.
Burnham’s popular beach suffered a ‘poor’ rating last November after stricter new EU bathing water quality standards came into force.
Work is also ongoing by Wessex Water, Sedgemoor District Council and the Environment Agency to improve the quality of the sea water.
