A team of volunteers worked together to help clean up the shores of an island to protect its special habitats – with finds including a plastic eyeball.

Cumbria Wildlife Trust hosted a clean-up event at Foulney Island yesterday in a bid to protect local wildlife.

Foulney Island, located one mile south-east of Roa Island, is perhaps best known for its breeding terns which travel vast distances to nest on the island's shingle banks.

Volunteers filled binbags of rubbish to clean up the pebbly shoreline ahead of the birds returning to nest this winter.

Foulney is an important breeding site for eider ducks and terns, and is also home to a variety of rare habitats, including vegetated shingle.

A group of 17 volunteers rolled up their sleeves for yesterday afternoon's beach clean up where they collected a mammoth 20 bags of rubbish.

A spokesman for Cumbria Wildlife Trust said the group discovered some unusual items during their litter-pick, including a plastic eyeball.

She said: "The island is an important place for breeding birds including artic terns, little terns, oyster catchers and eiders during summer.

"It is also home to vegetated shingle, a nationally scarce habitat where specialist species such as sea cabbage, yellow horned poppy and sea campion grow.

"We run beach cleans here and at South Walney during the winter months before the birds come back to nest. We will be planning more dates in the New Year.

"Over 20 bags of rubbish were collected. The winner of the most unusual find went to Hannah, discovering a plastic eyeball.

"Other items included large ropes, drainage covers and lots of hard plastics."

The trust also praised the volunteers for offering a helping hand to protect Foulney's wildlife.

"We are very grateful for our volunteers lending a hand doing such important work protecting these special habitats," a spokesman said.

The collected bags have been stored onsite and will be removed next week.

Details about Cumbria Wildlife Trust's next beach clean-up dates will be revealed in the New Year.