FISHERROW Sands is being included in this year’s Big Beach Clean-Up, organised by high street favourites Marks & Spencer.

Litter strewn along the Musselburgh beachfront will be bagged up by staff from M&S Kinnaird and local volunteers during the day-long event.

And to encourage more residents to get involved, M&S is throwing a beach-side barbecue for those who take part and giving away £5 of vouchers if they register online beforehand.

The Big Beach Clean-up on Wednesday, April 30, is hosted in partnership with the Marine Conservation Society and invites residents to join employees to scoop up unwanted rubbish.

M&S Kinnaird manager Elaine Anderson said: “We’re calling upon as many local people as possible to help us rid Fisherrow Sands of litter.

“This is a fun initiative which will bring the Musselburgh community together to help our local environment and protect our precious marine life. Plus, after all the hard work is done, everyone will be rewarded with a delicious barbecue and live music.” Volunteers across 95 beaches and 45 canals in the UK will join forces in the last week of April to clean the shores and banks.

Last year’s clean-up saw 30 tonnes of litter collected – the equivalent of the weight of two double-decker buses.

This year’s clean-up is also a chance for the Marine Conservation Society to assess the impact this year’s storms have had on beach litter and debris at locations across the country.

Samantha Fanshawe, MCS chief executive, said: “This week of action is a great opportunity to clean up some of our best-loved beaches and remove litter that has built up following recent storms.

“Rubbish washed up or left on beaches not only harms wildlife but spoils our enjoyment of the coast too, so the more people that take part the more litter we can remove from harm’s way.” The M&S Big Beach Clean-up is part of M&S’ Forever Fish campaign, which is funded by the profits from the 5p carrier bag charge in M&S foodhalls.

Since its introduction in 2008, the charge has reduced carrier bag use by 75 per cent and raised over £6 million for good causes. Customers can find out more at www.marksandspencer.com/plana and follow the event on the company’s Twitter or Facebook pages online.