UK’s Most Littered Beaches Revealed
Skegness Beach has been named the UK’s most littered beach for the second year running, according to new analysis from Business Waste Ltd.
The study reviewed visitor feedback for UK beaches and ranked locations based on how often reviews mentioned litter. The ranking reflects visitor complaints and perceptions rather than a physical litter audit, but it highlights where rubbish has become noticeable enough for beachgoers to mention publicly.
With warmer weather bringing more visitors to coastal areas, the findings point to a recurring seasonal issue. Busy beaches often see increases in plastic waste, disposable BBQs, broken glass, food packaging, dog mess, and other litter left behind.
Key findings
- Skegness Beach ranks as the UK’s most littered beach, with 64 reviews mentioning litter.
- Margate Main Sands and Formby Beach complete the top three.
- Bournemouth Beach recorded the highest number of litter-related reviews overall, with 265 mentions.
- The North West appears twice in the top five, with Formby Beach and Blackpool Beach both receiving high levels of litter complaints.
- Only three beaches in the cleanest top 10 had no reviews mentioning litter: Whitesands Bay, Whiterocks Beach, and Tyrella Beach.
- Three Northern Irish beaches appeared among the cleanest beaches, while none featured in the most littered top 10.
How the beach litter ranking was calculated
Business Waste Ltd analysed review data for a wide range of UK beaches. For each beach, the study measured:
- The number of reviews mentioning litter
- The total number of reviews
- The raw percentage of litter-related reviews
- An adjusted final score using the Wilson Score Interval Lower Bound
This adjustment helps reduce misleading results from beaches with very small review samples. For example, a single litter complaint from only a handful of reviews could create a high raw percentage, even where the evidence is limited.
The final ranking uses the adjusted score to identify beaches with the most consistent and reliable levels of litter-related complaints.
The UK’s most littered beaches
1. Skegness Beach, Lincolnshire
Skegness Beach ranked first for the second consecutive year, with 64 reviews mentioning litter from 1,006 total reviews. Its adjusted final score was 4.94%.
Several reviewers described rubbish being visible across the beach, including plastic bottles, cups, straws, and clothing left in the sand. One review from August 2025 described litter “flying” around while visitors were sitting on the beach.
This does not reflect every visitor’s experience. Many reviews still describe Skegness as a popular family day out, but the volume of litter-related comments suggests rubbish has become a recurring concern for some beachgoers.
2. Margate Main Sands, Kent
Margate Main Sands ranked second, with 52 reviews mentioning litter from 856 total reviews. Its adjusted final score was 4.58%.
Visitors raised concerns about rubbish, broken glass, dog mess, and human urine. That is particularly concerning for a beach that attracts large numbers of families and day-trippers during warmer weather.
The issue is not only visual. Broken glass and waste left in the sand can create direct safety risks for children, pets, and other beach users.
3. Formby Beach, Merseyside
Formby Beach ranked third, with 40 reviews mentioning litter from 744 total reviews. Its adjusted final score was 3.87%.
Several visitors mentioned rubbish near access points, picnic waste left behind, disposable BBQs, and other hazardous items. One reviewer from April 2026 said they encountered rubbish shortly after leaving the car park.
Formby is a popular natural coastal area, which can make litter more damaging. Plastic packaging, BBQ waste, and other rubbish may affect dunes, wildlife, and marine habitats if not cleared quickly.
The full top 10 most littered beaches
The UK beaches with the highest adjusted litter scores were:
- Skegness Beach, Lincolnshire: 64 litter mentions from 1,006 reviews
- Margate Main Sands, Kent: 52 from 856 reviews
- Formby Beach, Merseyside: 40 from 744 reviews
- Blackpool Beach, Lancashire: 64 from 1,374 reviews
- Whitmore Bay Beach, Barry Island: 16 from 289 reviews
- Bournemouth Beach, Dorset: 265 from 9,054 reviews
- Scarborough Beach, North Yorkshire: 108 from 3,627 reviews
- Weston-Super-Mare Beach, Somerset: 50 from 1,587 reviews
- Botany Bay, Kent: 18 from 550 reviews
- Clacton-on-Sea Beach, Essex: 29 from 1,020 reviews
Bournemouth Beach stands out because it recorded the highest number of litter-related reviews overall, with 265 mentions. However, because the beach also had more than 9,000 total reviews, its adjusted score placed it sixth in the final ranking.
Why beach litter is such a problem
Beach litter is not only unpleasant to look at. It can also affect public safety, wildlife, and the wider marine environment.
Common types of beach litter include:
- Plastic bottles and cups
- Food packaging
- Disposable BBQs
- Cigarette ends
- Broken glass
- Wet wipes
- Dog waste
- Fishing line or hooks
- Abandoned picnic waste
Plastic is one of the biggest concerns because it can persist in the environment for many years. Larger plastic items can trap or injure animals. Over time, plastic can also break down into microplastics, which can enter water, marine life and food chains.
Disposable BBQs are another major issue. They are difficult to clear safely, can remain hot for hours, and can damage sand, grass, dunes and bins if abandoned or thrown away incorrectly.
The UK beaches with the fewest litter complaints
The cleanest beaches in the ranking were:
- Whitesands Bay, St Davids: 0 litter mentions from 540 reviews
- Whiterocks Beach, Portrush: 0 from 86 reviews
- Tyrella Beach, County Down: 0 from 33 reviews
- Robin Hood’s Bay Beach, North Yorkshire: 1 from 702 reviews
- North Landing Beach, East Riding of Yorkshire: 1 from 404 reviews
- Portstewart Strand, Londonderry: 1 from 238 reviews
- Southwold Pier, Suffolk: 2 from 2,651 reviews
- Claigan Coral Beach, Isle of Skye: 3 from 808 reviews
- Walton On The Naze Beach, Essex: 3 from 541 reviews
- Gullane Beach, East Lothian: 2 from 181 reviews
Only three beaches recorded zero reviews mentioning litter: Whitesands Bay, Whiterocks Beach, and Tyrella Beach.
Northern Ireland performed strongly in the cleanest rankings, with Whiterocks Beach, Tyrella Beach, and Portstewart Strand all appearing in the top 10.
How beachgoers can reduce litter
Most beach litter is preventable.
Visitors can help by:
- Bringing a bag to collect their own rubbish
- Taking waste home if bins are full
- Avoiding disposable BBQs
- Using refillable bottles instead of single-use plastic
- Keeping food packaging secure so it does not blow away
- Never leaving dog waste bags on paths, dunes, or beaches
- Checking children’s toys, wrappers, and snack packaging before leaving
- Reporting sharp or hazardous waste to the local council
The simplest rule is still the best one: leave the beach as you found it.
What councils and tourism operators can do
Beach litter is not only a visitor issue. Councils, seafront businesses, event organisers, and tourism operators also need waste systems that reflect visitor demand.
During warm weather, bank holidays, and school breaks, waste volumes can rise quickly. A bin setup that works on a quiet weekday may struggle on a busy summer weekend.
Useful steps include:
- Reviewing bin capacity before peak season
- Increasing collections during hot weather and holidays
- Adding clear signage at beach entrances and exits
- Providing separate recycling bins where contamination can be controlled
- Monitoring known litter hotspots, such as car parks and picnic areas
- Offering clear guidance on disposable BBQs
- Working with volunteers and local businesses on beach clean-ups
- Enforcing fines for deliberate littering
For high-footfall coastal businesses, packaging choices can also make a difference. Cafés, kiosks, and takeaway venues should consider how easily packaging can be disposed of, recycled, or carried away responsibly by customers.
Beach litter needs shared responsibility
Mark Hall, plastic waste expert at Business Waste Ltd, comments:
Final thoughts
The UK’s most littered beaches are not necessarily the dirtiest by physical volume. This study measures where visitors are most likely to complain about litter in reviews.
That distinction matters, but so does the pattern. When beachgoers repeatedly mention rubbish, broken glass, dog mess or disposable BBQs, waste is already affecting the visitor experience.
Better beach waste management needs a mix of personal responsibility, practical bin provision, clear signs, seasonal collections and stronger enforcement where needed.
Methodology
User reviews mentioning litter from major review platforms were collected for a wide list of UK beaches.
For each beach, Business Waste Ltd counted the number of reviews mentioning litter and the total number of reviews, then calculated the raw percentage of litter-related reviews.
As raw percentages can be misleading when total review numbers are low, the Wilson Score Interval Lower Bound was used. This statistical method balances the proportion of litter mentions with the total number of reviews.
The formula was adjusted to assign a score of zero when a beach had no litter-related reviews, avoiding false inflation.
Beaches were ranked by this adjusted score to highlight the most reliable high litter mentions.
Data was collected on 20 May 2026 and is subject to change.
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