ON A bright-but-blowy April day, Helensburgh's East Bay Beach at high tide is busy with children wandering along to the town centre and dog walkers allowing their pets to dash from the sand into the water.
But at the low tide, the beach and its water become crowded with man-made and organic detritus.
Cotton bud sticks poke out of the seaweed washed up on the tide; sanitary towels lie, beached, next to the sea wall.
People living in the area pa
int an even darker picture of a constant struggle between volunteers intent on retaining Helensburgh's seaside charm and an ever-encroaching tide of man-made pollution.
"It very bad when the tide goes out," said one dog walker. "It exposes a waste pipe and all the sanitary towels, cotton buds and other waste is left on the beach. It is pretty disgusting.
"I let the dog run into the water, but that's only to fetch sticks that I throw in. You've got to imagine that it's a health hazard for people.
"Local volunteers come down here wearing long rubber gloves to clear the stuff away. I know they get very angry about the mess. This is a nice spot. There is a cracking view, but I certainly wouldn't sit on the sand here."
The woman, who has lived in the town for two years, said the problem was restricted mainly to the area around the pipe at the west end but in bad weather it affected the whole stretch.
Further along the beach, Donald Nicolson and Aileen McHarg, who have lived on the beach-edge for almost seven years, said that dog mess, broken glass and plastic waste were serious problems.
"The broken glass is horrendous for dogs here," said Mr Nicolson. "Our dog has had his paws cut countless times, on some occasions so badly that he's needed stitches.
"This area's very popular with dog walkers, which is also raises the issue of dog mess. Most people clean up after themselves, but there are those who leave it, believing the tide will wash it away. But they don't know where the tide line is, or when it'll be coming in again. Even worse are the people who bury it in the sand, leaving it for a small child to dig their fingers through it."
Both remembered when thousands of cotton bud sticks were washed up on to the beach last September, but said it was an unusual event.
"We have had times when there has been sewage in the water," said Ms McHarg. "But that hasn't happened too often, only a few times since we moved here.
"But there are loads of plastic bottles and bags constantly being washed up, and the place relies on the volunteers to keep it clean. If they didn't come here, it would be a terrible mess."
The full article contains 483 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
