Three tyres, a traffic cone and other plastic items were among the litter picked up by trainee sailors at Downderry.

The recruits, together with civilian staff from HMS Raleigh, were on cleanup detail between Downderry and Seaton in support of Keep Britain Tidy’s Beachcare programme. ‘It was a good afternoon,’ said trainee submariner Daniel Valentine. ‘The beach was surprisingly cleaner than we thought, but we did find a few items to pick up. The public are very supportive of us, so it was nice to give something back and show that we are here to help.’ Beachcare programme officer Neil Hembrow said that over the last five years, his organisation had seen a slight decrease in the amount of litter it is picking up off beaches in Devon and Cornwall. He said: ‘The positive impact of these volunteer cleans cannot be underestimated.