PEOPLE in Sunderland are being urged to help make a local beach a tidier place.

Sunderland City Council is organising a clean-up of the sands at Hendon on Saturday as part of the national Beachwatch initiative, run by the Maritime Conservation Society.

Volunteers, who will be working from 10am to 1pm, will be clearing rubbish and recording exactly where they find it, to help conservationists discover where it has come from.

The council's sustainability team will provide litter picks, sacks and survey forms.

The council's sustainability coordinator, Steve Graham, said: "By telephoning 0191-553 1535 and joining this family day out, we can all start to create a cleaner, safer and more sustainable future for our beaches.