A SUCCESSFUL campaign set up to help protect at risk South Ayrshire beaches has relaunched as lockdown restrictions ease.

The ‘My Beach Your Beach’ campaign from environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful has kicked off for the third year running at Ayr South Beach, with a debut this year at the popular Troon beach.

Last year Ayr South Beach – the main attraction for visitors looking to bask in the sunshine – received a poor quality reading for the third year running.

The ‘My Beach Your Beach’ campaign provides an awareness of the type of activities that can impact on the beach and water quality.

It covers issues such as feeding gulls to leaving litter and dog mess behind, seemingly simple habits that can cause pollution.

Since 2018, the campaign has successfully helped hack down on litter and dog fouling, with a massive 79 per cent reduction in litter between the first two years.

Ayr South Beach and Troon join four others selected for the 2020 campaign, all of which have faced challenges in improving the quality of their bathing water as measured by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

Paul Wallace, Campaigns and Innovation Manager at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said, “We are delighted to be bringing My Beach Your Beach, with a difference, back to Ayr South Beach this year and to introduce it to Troon.”

Environment Portfolio holder for South Ayrshire Council, Councillor Ian Cochrane, said, “We are proud of our beaches which are some of the best in Scotland, but with the lockdown easing, now more than ever, we need people to act responsibly. This means adhering to any physical distancing measures and disposing of rubbish responsibly.”