Staff from Southern and Thameslink have taken part in this year’s Great British Beach Clean in Brighton.

The ten-day national beach clean is organised by the Marine Conservation Society, and participants catalogue what they find.

This aids in understanding pollutants and helps them campaign for change, such as plastic bag charges and improved wet wipe labelling.

The staff tackled a 100m stretch of the beach, collecting 2kg of rubbish, including plastic and a high number of fish hooks and glass.

Not only do shards of broken glass and fish hooks pose dangers to people on the beach, but they can also be harmful when circulated back into the ocean.

These pieces of glass are not the eye-catching pieces of seaglass that many people collect, but very sharp pieces hidden just underneath rocks.

A large number of plastic items were collected, which can be disastrous for marine wildlife and humans, as these items break down into microplastics, which are ingested through the food chain.

Both Southern and Thameslink have many stations located near beaches across the UK, and felt like it was important to help make a change.

“The success of the Great British Beach Clean relies on the dedication of our volunteers, and we’re hugely thankful to have Govia Thameslink staff joining the effort in collecting and recording litter from our beaches. The data gathered during our beach cleans is crucial in helping tackle pollution at its source, protecting us and wildlife.”

Lizzie Price, Beachwatch Manager at the Marine Conservation Society