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 British beaches
are the final resting places for mountains of litter with more
arriving on every wave and gust of wind
OUR beaches They were all cleared from our
beaches during a single weekend last September and were among the
223,405 bits of litter that volunteers bagged up and removed as part
of the Beachwatch Big Weekend 2013, organised by the Marine
Conservation Society (MCS).
The UK's leading beach cleanup and survey has now been running for
twenty years and over the 2 decades the amount of litter found on
our beaches has been steadily increasing. The 20th anniversary clean
up, which took place between 20 September and 23 September 2013, saw 2,309
items of litter found on every kilometre cleaned; the highest in Beachwatch history.
MCS says that in 20 years 59,493 volunteers have taken part in
Beachwatch Big Weekend, removing 5,528,399 pieces of litter from
3,080.5km of coastline. "This is a disgusting tide of litter which is threatening the
safety of beach visitors both human and animal. It's coming in from
the sea, being blown from the land or simply being dumped and
dropped. After 20 years of campaigning it's disheartening that in
2013 we are seeing worse litter levels than ever." says
Lauren Eyles, MCS Beachwatch Officer.
MCS Beachwatch volunteers record where the litter they find comes
from to help the charity campaign to stop it getting there in the
first place.
Here's where the litter recorded last
September came from:-
► Public – 39.4% This is all the stuff littered by people – we
drop it intentionally, leave it behind accidentally, or it arrives
on the beach carried on the wind or in rivers.
► Fishing – 12.6% Includes commercial and recreational fishing
stuff – line, nets, weights, floats.
► Shipping – 4.5% This is all the stuff that gets dropped, lost
or thrown overboard from small craft to massive cargo ships.
► Sewage Related Debris (SRD) - 4.3% The really nasty stuff –
bits we put down the loo but shouldn't – cotton bud sticks, tampons,
nappies and the like.
► Fly-tipped - 0.9% People use some beaches like the local tip
– fly-tipping things like furniture, pottery and ceramics.
► Medical – 0.2% Inhalers, plasters, syringes – stuff you
really don't want your kids picking up.
► Non-sourced - 38.1% All the bits and bobs that we can't
really identify and so don't know where it comes from – generally
small things or damaged stuff.
Lauren Eyles says 2013 was a vintage year for finding strange things
on beaches:- "As well as half a TV, a French bullet-proof vest
and a pack of bacon, there was a brass candlestick, some plastic
bird feet, a birdcage, a bath plug, half a canoe and a set of
dentures!"
Top of the finds was once again plastic pieces. These are tiny bits
of plastic that have broken off larger items or have been in the sea
for possibly decades and become smaller and smaller. "Plastic is a real issue for our oceans and beaches.
This year we also picked up lots of lids
and caps. However, despite it being a really warm summer, we saw
less crisp, sweets and lolly wrappers and fewer plastic bottles.
There's continued good news though for Sewage Related Debris (SRD);
there's still less of it about after we asked people, in 2011, to
stop flushing things down the loo that should go in the bin."
says Lauren Eyles.
Regionally, beaches in the North West of England had almost double
the amount of litter per kilometre than the national average at over
4,000 pieces, whilst the South West, which normally has high litter
levels, had well below the national average at just over 1,750
pieces per kilometre. Litter on Welsh beaches increased by 60%
between 2012 and 2013 with almost 4,500 bits of rubbish per
kilometre.
MCS says urgent steps must be taken to reverse the rising tide of
beach litter. During June it will be launching its Marine Litter
Action Network which will be tasked with changing behaviour in a
variety of areas from the plastics industry to manufacturing, retail
to shipping. "Marine Litter Action Network meetings and
workshops will take place between June 2014 and June 2015. Experts
from the areas that we believe can do more will be joining us to
identify ways that everyone can help reduce marine litter. This is
no talking shop; we will have a year to make a difference and will
be presenting the Government with our plans which we will be asking
them to implement as part of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive
which gives the Government certain objectives it has to meet." says Lauren
Eyles.
MCS will be running beach cleans and surveys around the UK coast
this Spring and Autumn, and the charity is calling on the public to
take part and make this the biggest year of beach cleans and surveys
ever.
The 1st big event will take place at hundreds of beaches
between 24 April and 30 April 2014. You can find out more and register at:-
mcsuk.org/foreverfish. |
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Pay inequality
has risen across the North West
WAGE inequality has
increased significantly over the last 13 years according to new TUC
analysis published to coincide with the beginning of the TUC's first
Fair Pay Fortnight which runs until Sunday, 6 April 2014.
The figures; based on full-time earnings from the Annual Survey of
Hours and Earnings (ASHE) – show that between 2000 (when the data
was first collected) and 2013 the pay gap between the top 90% and
the bottom 10% of earners in the North West has risen by nearly 4%.
A similar picture emerges in the South East where the gap between
those on the 90th and 10th percentile of earnings has grown by nine
per cent since 2000. The Midlands has also witnessed a significant
pay gap increase over the last 13 years, with the pay gap increasing
by seven per cent in the West Midlands and by 5% in the East
Midlands.
The TUC analysis reveals that across most of the rest of the country
the pay inequality ratio is also rising; up by 14% between 2000 and
2013 in London alone, 9% in the South East, 3% in the East of
England, and two per cent in Scotland and the North East.
Only Wales and the South West have seen pay inequality reduce over
the last 13 years. However the TUC believes this is more down to top
earners not doing as well as in other parts of the UK, rather than
those at the bottom getting a better deal.
The TUC research also reveals how much the top 10% of earners across
the region bring home and how their salaries vary greatly to the
rest of the UK. In the North West, the highest top earners receive
£47,000 a year, much lower than the UK average of £53,000 a year and
even further behind the averages in the South East (£57,000) and
London (£82,000).
Workers on the bottom 10th percentile in the region will be earning
three times less than the higher earners, taking home just over
£14,000 a year. This, they say, is why pay must be tackled as an
issue that is causing problems in society.
Speaking ahead of their 'Price of A Pay Rise' event taking place on
Tuesday evening in Liverpool, North West TUC Regional Secretary Lynn
Collins said:- "We've talked often about how the North West
needs investment in jobs, skills and pay to prevent a widening in
the gap between North and South. The figures on take home pay show
us that this gap is still there, but reminds us there is more we
need to do on our own doorstep to overcome the growing inequality
between those at the top and those at the bottom. This growing pay
gap is bad news for our economy and bad news for living standards.
We need to make sure this gap doesn't widen and if we don't see more
high-skilled jobs with decent pay being created, this worrying
pattern is likely to become even more entrenched. We hear of a
recovery, but it's got to be one that people feel and are a part of;
not just those higher earners at the top. The TUC wants to see a
greater commitment to pay the living wage from both government and
employers, a crackdown on excessive executive pay, and modern wages
councils which could set higher minimum wages where employers can
afford to pay more. We'll be tackling these issues during Fair Pay
Fortnight and will be asking the public to back our call to MPs to
get all political parties to put decent pay at the top of their
agendas in the run up to the election."
Reminders ahead of the Grand National
RACE goers are being urged to leave their cars at
home and travel to this year's Aintree Grand National, Thursday, 3
April 2014 to
Saturday, 5 April 2014, by public transport. Arriva and Stagecoach
will be running special regular bus services (both numbered 922)
between Elliot Street (next to St John's Market) in Liverpool City
centre and Aintree racecourse, and from the racecourse back to the
City centre when races have finished.
Other regular bus services run from both the City centre and other
parts of Liverpool and stop near the racecourse. Some roads in the
Aintree area will be closed throughout the three days and as a
result, some bus services will be diverted. On Merseyrail
extra trains are being provided to increase the frequency of
services to the world famous race meeting and extra measures have
been put in place to ensure the majority of visitors can use
Merseyside's public transport network to its fullest.
For further details please visit:-
merseytravel.gov.uk or call Traveline on:- 0151 236
7676 For rail information
online about travel in
and around Merseyside. Merseyside Police are also again asking
residents in Aintree and Maghull to share with Police any issues or
concerns they have ahead of the Aintree Festival. Inspector Phil
Hatton said his officers want to reassure local residents that they
will be on hand to deal with any concerns they may have. Inspector
Phil Hatton, said:- "The Aintree Festival is a significant 3
day event that puts Merseyside on the sporting map. The tens of
thousands of visitors we welcome to the area every year in early
April have a great time and we are grateful to local residents for
their patience and co-operation in helping us to successfully Police
the event year on year. We recognise that large numbers of people
will inevitably have a knock on effect on the local community, many
of who continue their daily lives while Aintree is on. As with every
year there will be a large-scale policing operation running on all
three days to ensure the event passes safely and my neighbourhood
team will also be there to address any concerns that residents may
have. Not only will these officers be dedicated to responding to any
calls about issues such as anti-social behaviour and disorder
outside of the racecourse throughout the festival, they will also be
looking to speak to anyone living locally who may have experienced
problems in previous years. We want to hear from these people so we
can discuss with them how we can address them this year and ensure
the same issues don't arise again so that the event is a winner for
all." Aintree and Maghull residents can contact their
neighbourhood team by sending an
email or call the non emergency number:- 101.
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