Four journalists from the Weston and Somerset Mercury took part in a massive clean-up operation on the town’s beach.

More than 100 people answered the call to tidy up the popular beach, which marked the end of Let’s Talk Rubbish – a month-long campaign by the Archant weekly and North Somerset Council.

Forty-two bags of rubbish were collected by environmentally-conscious individuals including Mercury reporters Justin Burns, Emma Wright, Samantha Pope and news editor Clare Hayes.

The Mercury’s litter pickers (from left) Justin, Emma, Samantha and Clare

Teams of litter pickers found piles of rubbish including discarded glass bottles, cans, plastic bags, old barbecues, clothing and dirty needles.

The campaign was aimed at making people more aware of the importance of not dropping litter and how they can now face a £75 fine.

It began by identifying six areas across the district where up to 30 specially-trained council officers could slap litter louts with a £75 fine.

The focus then shifted to highlight the serious damage caused to wildlife by litter.

As the campaign gathered pace, officers enforcing the six hotspots ditched their ‘softly-softly’ approach where they would talk to offenders before issuing fines.

The Mercury also sent out a reporter with an enforcement officer to see how people react when they are faced with being fined.