However, BCP Council has a plan to encourage people to be more considerate and responsible. School children from across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole are being invited to create artwork to encourage people to respect the environment; this will support the council’s Leave Only Footprints campaign. The council then plans to use as many of the designs as possible across a range of signs – from A4 boards on lampposts along the seafront, to prints on tree planters, banners, car park signs and more.

Councillor Lewis Allison, Portfolio Holder for Tourism, Leisure and Communities said, “BCP Council collects around 2,000 tonnes of waste per year from the seafront and this year, there has been a rise in the amount of litter left. Discarded litter, including disposable BBQs are dangerous to wildlife and can cause a fire risk to our local heathland. Waste left on our beaches can often cause pollution and harm marine life if it is washed away by the sea.”

Each participating school will be asked to collate the artwork and send to BCP Council by Friday 3 July. Many of the designs will then be used in various locations across the BCP Council area.