Dartmoor rangers are bringing the moorland version of the successful global #2 Minute Beach Clean to the national park again this year.

After a recent event at Roborough Rock, Yelverton, ranger Ella Briens is running an event at Shipley Bridge on Sunday, 14 May, between 10.30am and 12.30pm.

Bude resident Martin Dorey started #2 Minute Beach Clean after becoming frustrated by the amount of litter on the beautiful South West beaches. His aim was to encourage visitors and locals to take pride in their surroundings, raise awareness of the litter problem and be proactive in dealing with the detritus.

The solution was to place large A-frame boards with litterpicker tools at various beachside locations and ask people to spend two minutes picking up rubbish. Martin felt by only asking for two minutes it was not a massive intrusion on people’s days, but with thousands visiting the beaches the time would soon add up.

The campaign has been a hit, with people from all over the world posting their litter picking pictures to social media sites to highlight the problem on a world wide scale.

The event near South Brent will see participants starting at the car park at Shipley Bridge and walking up towards the Avon Dam, litterpicking as they go. Anyone is welcome to join in for two minutes, or the whole two hours if preferred.

Pictures can be posted to Instagram or twitter tagged with #2minutelitterpick and #lovedartmoor.

Dartmoor National Park Authority currently spends more than £20,000 per year disposing of recreational litter, not including staff / volunteer time. Rubbish like picnic leftovers, disposable barbeques and camping remnants are not only unsightly but pose a hazard to Dartmoor’s livestock and wildlife.