UK beaches strewn with beer bottles, plastic packaging and clothes after heatwave

These grim images of our beaches strewn with litter are sad proof that we are a throwaway nation.

Beer bottles, juice cartons and even abandoned sunglasses tell a tale of fun in the sun – but with not much thought for other people.

One photograph captured a little boy sitting among the detritus surrounding him in Blackpool, Lancs.

Southend in Essex and Margate in Kent were two more beaches ruined.

In Redcar, Cleveland, the Rugby Union club cancelled its Thursday training – and cleaned the beach.

Chairman Neil Young said: “Tonight was about giving something back to the town.”

Emily Parr, from campaign group Love My Beach, which organises litter picks in the North West, has spoken of her upset after seeing the picture.

She said: “It was completely heartbreaking to see the picture taken on Blackpool Beach yesterday.

“Sadly we have come to expect this kind of thing but to see it on that scale is surprising.

“Our volunteers work tirelessly to keep beaches in the area clean so it’s devastating to see them be treated like this.

“You can tell the rubbish is fresh and was left on the beach yesterday.

“If it had been washed up by the sea then the colour in the cans and wrappers would be faded, but it’s not.”

She added: “Our message to people visiting beaches this summer is that they must take all their litter home with them.

“If you can manage to bring these things to the beach with you then you can manage to take them away with you.”