SHOPPERS will be able to bag a bargain and help save the environment when a campaign to protect an east Durham beauty spot is launched this week.

People visiting Seaham on Friday will be offered free canvas shopping bags in a bid to cut the amount of plastic washed up on the local coastline.

Members of the Plastic Bag-Free Seaham group will be handing out the bags in Byron Place between 11am and 1pm.

The group, who will be joined by Coast and Countryside Rangers from Durham County Council, will also be encouraging shoppers to re-use plastic bags and asking traders to back their campaign by urging customers to recycle.

Plastic Bag-Free Seaham was set up by Jean Tyres, a retired probation officer from Durham, who adopted a section of beach at Seaham North Harbour through the Marine Conservation Society (MCS).

She said: “Adopting the beach means I’m committed to conducting regular surveys of the amount and type of litter on the beach and, so far, these have revealed that the biggest local pollutant is plastic.”

“We want to raise awareness of the harm that plastics do to our environment and reduce the amount found on our beaches by reducing the number of plastic bags given out by retailers in the town.

“Hopefully, local residents will help us do this by collecting their free canvas bag and making sure they take it with them each time they go shopping.”

As well as picking up their free bag, visitors to Byron Place on Friday will be able to find out more about the campaign, which is supported by Seaham Town Council, Byron Place Shopping Centre and Durham Heritage Coast and the county council.

They will also be invited to watch a short film about Modbury, in Devon, which became the first town in Britain to declare itself plastic bag-free.

Information about the work of the MCS will be available and there will be the chance to meet Tidy Ted, the Pride in Easington mascot.