A band on their way to play at a Norfolk music festival stopped off to join activists on a beach clean.

Environmental group the Paul Watson Foundation UK, known as Neptune's Pirates, carried out the sweep of the beach and dunes at Old Hunstanton under stormy skies on Saturday.

Activists and band members gather for the beach clean at Old HunstantonActivists and band members gather for the beach clean at Old Hunstanton (Image: Chris Bishop)

They were joined by members of left-leaning folk band Ferocious Dog, who were on their way from their base in Nottinghamshire to headline the Folk in a Field fest at West Acre, near Swaffham, that evening.

"It's massively important to conserve our oceans and our world," said singer Ken Bonsall.

Activists set off for the beach clean at Old HunstantonActivists set off for the beach clean at Old Hunstanton (Image: Chris Bishop)

"I've been on all these beaches, all round to Cromer. They should be beautiful beaches, but they're not.

"It's people. How many people leave things behind, chuck things in the sea and leave them to volunteers to pick up?"

Environmentalists taking part in the beach clean at Old HunstantonEnvironmentalists taking part in the beach clean at Old Hunstanton (Image: Chris Bishop)

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The answer to that at Old Hunstanton was 45kg of waste, collected in the space of a little over two hours.

Ferocious Dog taking part in the beach cleanFerocious Dog taking part in the beach clean (Image: Chris Bishop)

It included plastic bottles, drinks cans, vapes, balloons and fishing line to dog poo bags and even less savoury human waste.

Around a dozen people took part in the group's third clean-up at Old Hunstanton this year, along with the band, armed with pickers and bin bags.

A man searches for rubbish in the dunes at Old Hunstanton A man searches for rubbish in the dunes at Old Hunstanton (Image: Chris Bishop)

They met afterwards to weigh their haul before adding it to the trailer placed at the entrance to the beach for people to place their rubbish in.

Nic Clifford, regional co-ordinator for the Paul Watson Foundation UK, said the group had so far carried out 50 beach cleans around the UK in 2024, involving almost 1,000 people.Bags of rubbish collected from Old Hunstanton beachBags of rubbish collected from Old Hunstanton beach (Image: Chris Bishop)

Activists have removed six tonnes of rubbish, which is equivalent to more than a million polystyrene cups, 194,000 plastic soft drink bottles or enough fishing line to stretch from London to New Zealand.

Ferocious Dog singer Ken Bonsall throws a bag of waste in the trailer for people to dispose of their rubbish inFerocious Dog singer Ken Bonsall throws a bag of waste in the trailer for people to dispose of their rubbish in (Image: Chris Bishop)

Volunteers dispose of rubbish collected on the beach cleanVolunteers dispose of rubbish collected on the beach clean (Image: Chris Bishop) Some 45kg of rubbish was collected and weighed-in before being disposed ofSome 45kg of rubbish was collected and weighed-in before being disposed of (Image: Chris Bishop)