Underwater beach clean will tackle marine litter

On Saturday divers will be collecting plastic and other rubbish lying off Guernsey’s west coast. A beach clean will also be part of the environmental programme, which is being run in partnership with Condor Ferries.

Steve Bougourd, managing director of Donkey Divers, said: ‘We dive year-round and are passionate about our seas, wanting to raise awareness of environmental issues and highlight the need to protect our marine and coastal ecosystem.

‘The support from Condor enables us to purchase special clean-up kits from Project Aware, a global ocean conservation charity, which are ideal for both water and beach cleans.’

The underwater clean is set for 9.30am off Rousse headland.

The Project Aware kits include reusable mesh bags for underwater use and rubbish collection bags for beaches. Donkey Divers is supplying tanks of air free of charge for the dive.

Condor’s community officer Tracy Peters said: ‘As a ferry company we have a natural affinity with the sea and are working hard ourselves to reduce waste on board and take steps to protect the marine environment. We are really excited to be working with Steve at Donkey Divers and hope this becomes an annual initiative.’