Marine litter kills wildlife, can be hazardous to people and costs millions to clear up.

“This is a manmade problem. Every piece of litter has an owner and we all need to take responsibility to not drop litter in the first place,” said Emma Snowden, MCS litter projects coordinator.

“Our first goal is to halve the litter on beaches by 2015, but in order to achieve this we need to appoint lead agencies with the specific responsibility to stop marine litter and develop a marine action plan now.”

People can sign an online petition calling for a Government action plan on marine litter at www.mcsuk.org

The results of recent surveys have helped MCS influence changes to laws on disposing of wastes at sea, and resulted in investment in better sewage treatment at the coast.