THOUSANDS of pieces of plastic washed up on normally pristine Cumbrian shores have hammered home the bleak reality of plastic pollution.

As Storm Eleanor crashed into the county's coastline in early January it left in its wake a plastic harvest. Bottles of every shape and size, polystyrene, netting, rope and innumerable other pieces of rubbish littered our beaches.

On the Copeland coastline, near Bootle, startling pictures show how in a short space of time coastal areas can become choked with rubbish.

On Tuesday (9) the government implemented a long called for ban on microbeads - tiny pieces of plastic which were part of many beauty and cleaning products. Charlotte Rowley, of the Cumbria Wildlife Trust, says this is a positive step but more must be done to protect Cumbria's wildlife.

She said: "It is massively concerning. We work extremely hard on trying to protect our seas and campaign for marine conservation areas. We've been successful in getting those designated. That is a small step in trying to make a difference. But, to solve it will take someone from particularly high up to make decisions.

"We can do our little bit by going to beach cleans but the plastic will keep on coming until someone high up does something."

In recent months a global spotlight has been shone on the impact plastic consumption is having in the world's oceans. In the UK more than two billion disposable coffee cups are thrown away every year; and in 2016 it was estimated that globally one million plastic bottles were sold every minute.

The scale of consumption was also highlighted through the BBC series Blue Planet 2. In the documentary presenter Sir David Attenborough called for the public to reduce the amount of plastic waste they produced, and encouraged pro-active steps to save our natural habitats.

This exposure has made a difference locally, says Ms Rowley.

"Plastic has been a problem for a long time but it takes something like Blue Planet that manages to impact on people. It impacts on people that normally would not be interested in the environment."

That impact is translated into members of the public making a conscious decision to use less plastic. Or, it may mean they go on organised litter picks publicised on social media by the Cumbria Wildlife Trust.

At beaches and areas of natural beauty there are containers placed where members of of public can deposit rubbish they find, and both Copeland and Barrow Borough Councils employ dedicated teams to keep our coastlines clean.

Julie Betteridge, Copeland’s director for customers and communities, said:

“We have some of the UK’s most beautiful coastline, that’s enjoyed by thousands of visitors and locals every year. We clean our four amenity beaches - St Bees, Haverigg, Seascale and Silecroft - throughout the bathing season.

“Other beaches on which we have around 40 miles of coastline, are cleaned when we are aware of something dangerous or problematic. Examples of this could include a dead farm animal or a fly-tipped fridge.

"We are aware that plastic from the sea is a real problem around the UK. Often groups of our residents do a great job of volunteer litter picking. We are always really supportive of these and are happy to offer gloves, bags and tools, and pick up the collected rubbish afterwards.

"We are glad to see government initiatives such as banning the manufacture of microbead products, lowering the use of plastic bags and the measures to reduce the amount of plastic bottles we use. We would always support measures that stop these things getting into the sea in the first place."

What is the microbead ban?


Microbeads in an exfoliating scrub

A UK-wide ban on the manufacture of cosmetics and care products containing tiny pieces of plastic known as "microbeads" has come into force.

The move is aimed at protecting the marine environment from one source of plastic pollution, as microbeads are washed down the drain and can enter the seas and be swallowed by fish and crustaceans with potentially harmful effects.

Manufacturers of cosmetics and personal care products will no longer be able to add the tiny plastic pieces to rinse-off toiletries such as face scrubs, toothpastes and shower gels.

It will be followed by a ban on the sale of products containing microbeads later in the year, the Government said.

Environment minister, Therese Coffey said: "The world's seas and oceans are some of our most valuable natural assets and I am determined we act now to tackle the plastic that devastates our precious marine life.

"Microbeads are entirely unnecessary when there are so many natural alternatives available, and I am delighted that cosmetics manufacturers will no longer be able to add this harmful plastic to their rinse-off products."