LAND-locked Herefordshire may seem an unusual place for a national marine charity to be based but it is so successful that it has just won an award.

The Marine Conservation Society based in Overross House in Ross Park just off the A40 won a Countryfile Magazine Award 2018, as voted for by readers.

The charity's Great British Beach Clean was voted Conservation Success of the Year 2018.

The annual awards recognise the best of the British countryside over a number of categories including National Park of the Year, Beach of the Year and even Country Book of the Year.

Lauren Eyles, MCS Beachwatch manager said winning the award is amazing and said: "The 2017 Great British Beach Clean was our biggest event yet with almost 7,000 volunteers getting involved.

"Beach litter and ocean pollution - particularly plastic - is now on the public agenda thanks to Blue Planet II. Cleaning up your local beach is a great way to ‘do you bit’ - and people are.

“What a boost to the project and our brilliant volunteers in the Marine Conservation Society’s 25th year of cleaning the UK’s beaches, at a time when we must do something about marine litter.

“Thanks to everyone who supports us including Waitrose and players of People’s Postcode Lottery, and all who have allowed us make the Great British Beach Clean better than ever. And of course, thanks to everyone who voted for us - we really do appreciate it.”

The data collected by MCS volunteer beach cleaners during the Great British Beach Clean, which is held annually over the third weekend in September, is used to influence national and European legislation, encourage best practice within industries and run public campaigns that offer effective solutions to problem items.

Recently the data has been instrumental in such environmental successes as removing plastic from wet wipes and getting them labelled more clearly and the single-use plastic carrier bag charge.

The winners in all the categories were announced on the Countryfile magazine website which said of the Great British Beach Clean: “With increasing awareness of the dangers of plastic debris to marine life, it’s no wonder that the Great British Beach Clean weekend was so popular with our readers. In fact, it took the most votes in any category, by a country mile. The Marine Conservation Society spearheads this annual survey weekend, which last September saw almost 7,000 people remove 255,209 pieces of litter from 339 beaches, recording every item. Waste is monitored and traced back to manufacturers, who are urged to make their packaging more environmentally friendly.