The Port of Milford Haven really does care about the seas around South Pembrokeshire - and that's official!

This week, staff donned their hiking boots and hi-vis jackets to carry out a massive beach clean operation at Milford beach and Hakin Point.

Western Telegraph: Happy litter pickers from the Port of Milford HavenHappy litter pickers from the Port of Milford Haven (Image: Port of Milford Haven)

As well as picking up litter, the team were collecting all the associated data in collaboration with both the Marine Conservation Society's Great British Beach Clean and Keep Wales Tidy camaign.

This is a week-long science event, where hundreds of beach cleans take place up and down the UK. Litter data collected  along every 100metre stretch is fed into the  International Coastal Clean-up department where it is analysed and used for further campaigns to instigate real change into the way inwhich our beaches and coastlines are protected.

And their results have already made terrific inroads.  Data provided by previous beach cleans has led to the plastic bag charge eing intoduced, the banning of microplastics in personal care products, an improvement in wet wipe labelling and supporting a tax on single-use plastic items.

But conservations say there is still a long way to go before litter can stop plaguing our beaches.

Last year's British Beach Clean found that a staggering 385 litter items were found on every 100-metre stretch of beaches throughout the UK.