A resort which prides itself on its clean beach has suffered a blow to its image.

Volunteers from the Marine Conservation Society found 2,749 pieces of litter on Littlehampton's West Beach, including plastic pellets, crisp packets, cigarette butts, bags and plastic bottles.

Littlehampton has in the past won Seaside Awards for the upkeep of its beach and the quality of its water.

Angela Bayley, treasurer of Littlehampton Civic Society, said the state of the beach came as no surprise.

She said: "We have had trouble with that beach for a long, long time. We keep writing to Arun District Council but we don't seem to get very far.

"It's one of our best beaches, it's a Site of Special Scientific Interest and there's a nature reserve which is very special. It's one of the last undeveloped areas of the coast and it's a very good tourist attraction. We really need somebody down there full-time to look after it."

Littlehampton town councillor Dr James Walsh said: "It's a shocking state of affairs but I gather that most of the litter is left by visitors.

"There needs to be more litter picking at the beginning of the season and I hope there will be more checks at this time of year."

Terry Leahy, head of environmental amenities at Arun Council, said: "We do have regular checks through the main season and we do target people and resources down there specifically.

"We will continue to work as we have done at the main times of use of the beach through the summer into the autumn and continue to target as necessary."

The Marine Conservation Society's Beachwatch project was launched in 1993 and aims to raise awareness of coastal litter problems.

More than 1,300 volunteers helped carry out the survey in September.