Littering beachgoers who descended on the coast as the heatwave hit this week have been slammed for leaving their rubbish at seaside beauty spots.
Thousands of people headed to the coast as they tried to make the most of the hot weather on Monday and Tuesday (July 18-19) as temperatures soared above 35C in some parts of the North East.
But beachgoers who failed to take their rubbish home with them have been slammed for leaving beaches in a mess on Wednesday (July 20) morning.
Read more: North East weather: Could there be another heatwave this week?
Shocking pictures show litter scattered along Tynemouth beach as the mess was slammed as “disgusting” while another asked “how hard can it be to take it home?”.
The pictures show rubbish scattered across the beach with glass bottles piled up.
Swimmers at the beach in King Edward Bay on Wednesday (July 20) morning collected bags full of waste which had been left lying in the sand and the council also sent staff to tidy up. A tractor was also spotted on Tynemouth Longsands at 10am disposing of waste and spreading the sand.
Both beaches hold Blue Flag status, an award given for quality of sand, water and beach cleanliness and safety.
Kimberly Pye, Head of Environment at North Tyneside Council said: “The majority of people who came to enjoy our award-winning beaches over the last few days have done so responsibly.
"Unfortunately, a small number of people have disrespected our beaches by leaving piles of litter on the sand.
"This has created even more work for our dedicated teams - who work late nights and early mornings to keep the coast clean and tidy - and our local volunteers who dedicate so much of their free time to keeping our beaches in pristine condition.
Read more: Before and after pictures show Tynemouth beach during the heatwave
"We have committed extra resources to keeping the coast looking great again this summer, including more staff and more litter bins, but there is only so much that we can do. All that we ask is for people to use the bins provided or take their litter home."
Tynemouth beach was packed out with thousands of people earlier in the week but was a lot quieter as temperatures returned closer to normal on Wednesday (July 20).
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