Half-a-tonne of rubbish was picked up when volunteers targeted scenic Worbarrow Bay as part of the Great Dorset Beach Clean.

Members from Soroptimist International Poole joined forces with Dorset Wildlife Trust volunteers to clean up the Purbeck bay on the World Heritage Jurassic Coast.

What they picked up was predominantly plastic – thousands of tiny pieces of polystyrene had been washed up along with many plastic bottles.

As well as being unsightly, plastic is particularly hazardous to wildlife. Other rubbish included shoes, wrappers and netting.

Volunteers were also asked to collect “mermaids purses”, empty egg cases from ray species including blonde and spotted.