By Travelmail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 03:32 EST, 1 April 2014 | UPDATED: 05:55 EST, 1 April 2014

More litter than ever before is being thrown on to the UK's beaches with seafronts in Wales almost twice as dirty as the rest of the country.

Some 223,405 pieces of rubbish were collected from coastal areas in the UK last year, new figures show, with seafronts in Englands North West deemed the filthiest in the country.

As part of the annual Beachwatch Big Weekend 2013, volunteers picked up on average 2,309 bits of rubbish on every kilometre cleaned the highest amount in its 20-year history.

Rubbish: Volunteers collected the most litter from Gwynedd (pictured), Anglesey, and Denbighshire in Wales

That figured doubled for beaches in Wales, with more than 4,000 pieces found.

Plastic was the top of the list of litter items, with 48,813 bits collected, followed by caps and lids, polystyrene, crisp and sweet wrappers and string.

Lauren Eyles, Beachwatch Officer at the Marine Conservation Society, which organises the annual event, said: This is a disgusting tide of litter which is threatening the safety of beach visitors both human and animal.

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More rubbish than ever before found on UK beaches