A MUM-of-two said she and her children were "gobsmacked" to see so much plastic and rubbish on the Penarth beachfront on her family day out.

Sophie Powell, of Penarth, went to the beach recently with her two children Freddie and Isabella for a walk, but ended up coming across a lot of litter.

Mrs Powell said her children, who are eight and nine respectively, both go to Albert Primary School and have been learning about plastic and its effect on the oceans and were shocked by what they saw.

The 38-year-old said: "They were were gobsmacked to see so much rubbish predominantly plastic on a beach so close to home.

"Both are pupils at Albert Primary school and have learnt about the damaging effect on our oceans and when seeing firsthand the waste decided to do something about it and collected it all.

"I personally hate seeing rubbish on any beach, but I was really surprised to see how much the kids had noticed it and how they felt about it, annoyed and shocked I would say they were. Especially at the thought of wild life possibly eating it.

"I’m not sure if there is already people who volunteer to pick up rubbish but both the kids thought it would be a great idea for the local community to be aware and have volunteers every few weeks to comb the beach."