As dawn breaks, the seafront shimmers in the sunlight and Brighton welcomes another warm summer's day.

Windows glisten in the morning sun and each wave glints as light is reflected and refracted through the water.

But the day's first rays also reveal an unwelcome collection of broken bottles and glass shards across the city's pebbled shore.

It is this hazard which has prompted The Argus to launch its Keep Glass Off The Beach campaign.

We are urging everyone to ensure glass is not taken on to the beach in a bid to make the area safe for all - and to help teams of litter-pickers who clean up the mess every day.

The hardy team of seafront pickers is up and about, making the place look respectable again, before most residents have switched their alarms to snooze.

Yesterday they welcomed The Argus's campaign.

Starting at 6am in the summer, an hour later in the winter, up to 20 people diligently scour the shore, clearing the rubbish discarded by careless beach-goers.

Extra staff were taken on in the aftermath of Fatboy Slim's Big Beach Boutique II event last month when tonnes of litter covered the beach. These new workers have been kept on in subsequent weeks and, by the time most people rise, the shoreline is looking pristine again.

A team of three covers the 3km from the Peace Statue to Hove Lagoon.

Scott Jardine, 32, from Seven Dials, rises at 5am to meet his colleagues.

Armed with plastic bags and grabbing tools they work their way westwards, clearing the beach, promenade and Hove Lawns.

Scott said: "Normally, after a weekend, I would pick up 30 bags of rubbish. After the Fatboy Slim gig I filled 250.

"Some people started work the day after Fatboy Slim and I'm amazed they are still with us because it was really hard work.

"Some worked 40-hour shifts, starting that afternoon, going all night and then the following morning.

"I heard a professor say it would take several years to filter all the glass through the shingle. But thankfully I would say it only took a week and a half.

"When the tide comes in it turns over the pebbles and brings glass out. But the waves also round the bits of glass off at the edges.

"To be fair, the glass we are finding now is the normal amount you would find left on Friday and Saturday nights."

Nevertheless, with the increasing popularity of bottled lagers and alcopops, the amount of broken glass is increasing.

As the glass gets crushed underfoot, it makes the task of picking up the pieces an unrelenting struggle.

This is on top of all the usual rubbish that needs clearing.

Scott said: "We're down to work six days on then two days off but I usually end up working seven days a week, including Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year.

"As well as the usual cans, bottles and newspapers we get some more disgusting items. We've had nappies and get quite a few syringes.

"The oddest thing I found was on the nudist beach - a two-seater leather sofa with handcuffs and a bull whip.

"We've also had a dead cow under the cliffs and a dead porpoise in Hove.

Further down the coast, Polish-born Ania Clay, was clearing the beach between the two piers.

The 25-year-old, who lives in Brighton, said: "I started in April and, although the weather has not been that great, we have had busy times. After the concert there was much more to do.

"The crushed glass definitely makes the work more difficult and we are still finding little bits coming up. And people are still bringing glass on to the beach."

Richard Osborne, 54, said: "We have so many people working on the beach it looks spotless.

"But it would make our job easier if people didn't bring glass here."

After filling their sacks, the pickers leave them on the promenade to be picked up by vans.

Recycling points have also been set up at strategic points on the front but, according to the pickers, people have been abusing the system by throwing waste away willy-nilly.

Alongside the litter-pickers, a small army of treasure hunters wielding metal detectors scan the pebbles for trinkets.

One man who did not want to be named said: "I do not think you will ever get the beach totally clean.

"They should ban glass bottles completely. If there were only plastic ones on sale, there would be no problems."

Brighton and Hove City Council has given a thumbs up to The Argus's campaign.

A spokeswoman said a reduction in glass would mean less work for litter-pickers and make the shoreline more pleasant.

She said: "Anyone who brings glass on to the beach is irresponsible.

"We whole-heartedly back the campaign and will look into putting signs up discouraging people from taking glass on to the beach.

"We are doing all we can to encourage people to use the bins provided. There are also several new recycling sites."

The spokeswoman paid tribute to the workers who cleared the beach every day.

She said: "The litter-pickers are really hard-working and dedicated to what they do."