A popular beach in Dorset has been left in a shocking state after the hottest weekend of the year, a litter picker has revealed.
Weymouth Beach was strewn with cans, plastic bottles, unwanted beach toys and used nappies left behind by selfish tourists.
Located at the heart of the Jurassic Coast, Weymouth Beach is the UK's top-ranking beach and has held the Blue Flag award for being both safe and clean since 2016.
After tourists flocked to the award-winning beach on what was the hottest weekend of the year, with temperatures in the south of England rocketing to 26C, volunteer litter picker Dave Taylor said it was left in one of the worst states he has ever seen.
The environmental activist spent two hours filling six bin bags full of rubbish as part of the Weymouth and Portland Marine Litter Project.
Mr Taylor, one of the group's founders, picked up 215 discarded cans, over 100 plastic bottles, a sack full of plastic beach toys, three inflatable kids toys and a bag full of general waste which included three nappies.
Volunteer litter picker Dave Taylor spent two hours filling six bin bags full of rubbish as part of the Weymouth and Portland Marine Litter Project
Located at the heart of the Jurassic Coast, Weymouth Beach (pictured) is the UK's top-ranking beach and placed in TripAdvisor's top 25 beaches in Europe this year
Volunteer litter picker Dave Taylor said Weymouth Beach was left in one of the worst states he has ever seen
The eco-conscious local said: 'It took me two hours to pick it all up, it was quite bad.
'There was stuff everywhere including loads of cans and bottles. It was one of the worst states I have ever seen it in. It's just terrible.
'There were lots of glass bottles left and it wasn't like people had just forgotten them. There was even a blanket surrounded by plastic toys. They must have literally got up, walked off and left lots of brand-new plastic toys behind - it's just so wasteful.
'Someone even left a KFC bag. They collected their rubbish, put it in the carrier bag and just left it in the middle of the beach.'
Amongst the rubbish Mr Taylor found glass bottles as well as disposable vapes which will be banned from April 1 2025 as part of the Government's plan to tackle youth vaping
Mr Taylor said that birds were 'pecking at the plastics on the beach'.
He added: 'One of the reasons we do what we do is because if I left it there, most of it would have been picked up in the morning by the tractor and the issue with that is that it doesn't get recycled. Stuff also gets washed out to sea.
'We are trying to highlight the issues of trying to get people to take their stuff home. It's just frustrating.'
Local residents vented their fury at the scenes.
One said: 'Unfortunately we have become a nation of pigs with no sense of pride or consideration for other than themselves.'
Mr Taylor picked up a sack full of plastic beach toys that were left on Weymouth Beach
After the hottest weekend of the year so far, Mr Taylor, co-founder of the Weymouth and Portland Marine Litter Project, collected over 100 plastic bottles
The rubbish included glass bottles as well as disposable vapes which will be banned from April 1 2025 as part of the Government's plan to tackle youth vaping
It took two hours for the eco-conscious local to collect rubbish from Weymouth Beach including three inflatable toys (pictured)
Weymouth Beach (pictured) was covered in litter after the hottest weekend of the year
Mr Taylor said: 'It was one of the worst states I have ever seen it in'
Another posted on social media: 'Disgusting! Stay away if you do not have the respect to use the beach, sign of this very lazy society.'
Weymouth and Portland Marine Litter Project sends off the cans to Exeter Council who then pay the organisation for recycling them.