North Devon is known for its beautiful coastal towns and beaches but sadly too many people continue to just discard their rubbish on the ground rather than make the effort to put it in the correct bin, meaning our North Devon beaches become unsightly, dangerous for animals, and bad for the environment.
Last summer saw Nitrous Oxide capsules littered on our beaches and visitors to the beach choosing to leave their dog mess on top of full bins. Many of my constituents have reported issues including dog fouling, litter and poorly maintained hedgerows.
In August 2022, I saw this myself with party goers leaving litter in our beautiful burrows in Instow, an integral part of the UNESCO North Devon Biosphere Reserve. Each year many volunteers including myself do beach clean ups and it is shocking the volume of waste collected – beaches with discarded BBQs, parks with discarded bottles and so many benches surrounded by cigarette butts – which are the top plastic polluters. Thank you to the many fantastic volunteers and groups that work hard to keep our community clean.
North Devon is a beacon for tourism and the environment, most of the coast in our biosphere is designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. I want to encourage constituents to get involved and take pride in their town or villages. You can report any unkempt locations in the form below . Once a grot spot has been reported, I will notify the council responsible.
Even when there are plenty of bins in town centres we see waste discarded, or overflowing from poorly maintained bins. We can improve our town centres spaces and our countryside with thought, planning, consideration for others and investment.
I look forward to working with constituents and local councils to keep North Devon clean.