A new seawater testing facility has been set up to monitor pollution in one of Sussex’s worst hit areas.

Your mission - should you choose to accept it - is to pick up two pieces of plastic from the sand after each surf session as you walk up the beach.

Plastic is everywhere. The overwhelming presence of plastic in our lives forms one of several daunting challenges for our environment. One recent, very depressing development (or I would describe it as a non-event) was the failure last month of the already faltering United Nations talks regarding a Plastics Treaty. While this was a discussion among countries, who are clearly divided on the issue, I cannot also help feeling that the private sector has to step up to the plate - especially the producers of fossil fuels.