DOZENS of volunteers took to the beach as part of a campaign to keep Britain's coastline "barefoot friendly".

The Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project saw 36 volunteers pick up 47kg of litter from Jubilee Beach, Southend.

The nationwide initiative to keep the UK beaches barefoot friendly saw the volunteers pick up all kinds of rubbish, including barbecues and drain pipes.

Billy Phillips, assistant marketing manager at Barefoot Wine and Bubbly, who joined in the beach clean, said: “It was great to see so many volunteers come out and put their best foot forward as they helped us clean up their local beach.

“As the sun came out we found all sorts of items from the usual suspects such as cotton wool buds right through to old drain pipes and barbecues and it was great fun to measure out how the recyclable litter we collected which weighed the equivalent of three full bottles of wine.

“Hopefully those who came out will continue to keep up the good work in keeping the beaches barefoot friendly for all to enjoy.”

To add to the excitement of the day, a giant set of scales popped up on the beach for all to guess the closest to the overall litter.

Jane Spink won and was delighted to claim her bottle of Barefoot Wine.

The project is run in partnership with environmental charity, Surfers Against Sewage, who have spent the last 26 years working to protect the UK’s oceans, waves, beaches and wildlife.

Dom Ferris, projects manager at Surfers Against Sewage, said: “Each year we are astounded by the level of support and community spirit we see at the Barefoot Wine Beach Rescue Project.

"This year we have had a record level of interest from keen volunteers, so can’t wait to work with Barefoot and the local community again this year to work towards our goal of reducing UK beach litter by 50 per cent by 2020.”

Last year saw hundreds of volunteers remove over 450kg of litter from UK beaches.

Jubilee Beach was also recently presented with the seaside award by Keep Britain Tidy, which celebrates the quality and diversity of England’s coastline and recognises beaches that are well-managed and maintained.

To find out more visit barefootwine.co.uk/blog.