VISITORS to Beverley Holidays in Paignton have donated more than £500 to help Torbay's marine environment.

Customers at Beverley Park, Ashvale and Whitehill Country Park shops were asked to donate 5p to local charity, Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust for each carrier bag they used.

The £561 raised will fund the charity's marine education work at the Seashore Centre at Goodrington.

As well as supporting the trust, visitors to Beverley Park learnt about the problems carrier bags cause for marine wildlife.

It is estimated more than 100,000 birds, whales, seals and turtles die each year worldwide from entanglement or ingestion of plastics, while also suffering pain and distress.

This is the second year Beverley Holidays has encouraged its visitors to make a donation to charity, but the first time the holidaymakers are being asked to support a charity working locally in Torbay.

Kate Foster, from Torbay Coast and Countryside Trust, said: "I am delighted with the support we have received from Beverley Holidays.

"Donations help the trust look after our environment locally, but also enable us to keep the Bay looking good for our visitors to enjoy.

"I hope we can work with more tourism providers and set up similar visitor donation schemes to be reinvested in the local area."

Nicola Jeavons, from Beverley Holidays, said: "We are really pleased with the amount we collected.

"When we started the scheme we were a little nervous about how our customers would react, but paying for carrier bags has now become more common nationally.

"I would definitely recommend the scheme to other businesses in the Bay."

Current marine conservation work carried out at the Seashore Centre by the trust's marine team includes beach events, looking after Torbay's nationally important seagrass beds, home to Torbay's seahorses and working with SeaTorbay (a new coastal management partnership in which the trust is involved).

The Seashore Centre is also the hub of the trust's marine education work teaching all ages about Torbay's marine world.