Heysham power station staff help preserve our beautiful coastline by carrying out beach cleans

Earlier this month, teams from the EDF-owned nuclear power station swapped their hard hats for litter pickers to collect rubbish from two areas of local coastline.

The two groups removed 25 bags of litter from the beaches at Middleton Sands and Half Moon Bay over two days. The rubbish collected included carpet, plastic bottles, rope, straws and glass.

The two hour long litter picking sessions were organised as part of the station’s commitment to environmental responsibility and community engagement.

Recognising the growing issue of marine pollution and the important work of the Marine Conservation Society, the team – armed with binbags – were delighted to be able to support this great initiative.

Martin Cheetham, station director at Heysham 2 Power Station, said: “At the power station, we’re dedicated not only to powering homes and businesses, but also to powering change in our community.

“This beach clean is just one of the ways we can give back and have a positive local impact. It’s inspiring to see our team members getting involved and helping to make a difference.”

The biggest source of rubbish on the beach is visitors, and after a busy summer, September is an opportune month to conduct beach cleans, at a time when coastal litter is potentially at its worst.

It is hoped that these proactive measures will prevent the rubbish being washed out to sea and endangering some of the area’s best-loved wildlife.

The Great British Beach Clean is an annual, week-long event, where hundreds of beach cleans take place up and down the UK. The data collected helps the Marine Conservation Society to campaign for positive change and also feeds into the International Coastal Clean-up.

Data collected from previous beach cleans has already been used to make a positive impact on our ocean, including the introduction of the plastic bag charge, banning microplastics in personal care products, improved wet wipe labelling, and supporting a tax on single use plastic items.

According to the Marine Conservation Society website, this was the first time that a beach clean has ever been organised at Middleton Sands.

Both Middleton Sands and Half Moon Bay, which are only a short distance from the power stations, are popular beach destinations for swimming, fishing and observing local wildlife.

Victoria Baird, environmental safety engineer at Heysham 2 Power Station, who led the clean-up, was delighted by everyone's efforts.

She said: “It was a great event, the sun was shining, and we got really good engagement from colleagues all over the station.

“We cleared a lot of rubbish, some left by beach goers and some brought in by the tide. We have made a couple of local beaches much nicer, and we have collected some valuable data for the Marine Conservation Society too.

“It was great to see everyone coming together and making a difference in our community. A huge thank you to everyone who took part.”