Our beaches are getting cleaner. Great. Dog owners on the whole are sensibly picking up their dog’s mess but many aren’t finishing the job: leaving it on the beach instead of taking it to the bin.

Wildlife experts are warning it’s even worse because animals such as turtles mistake the bags for their prey: jellyfish. The plastic then blocks their intestines and they starve to death.

I’ve been on the hunt at Roker Beach in Sunderland with Martin Bailey from Durham Wildlife Trust for BBC Newcastle:

More information from the team at BBC News Online: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17467451