ABOUT 40 volunteers ventured out to help clean up Rhyl and take advantage of the sunshine before Storm Ciara hit the coast.

The clean-up was organised by the Marine Lake Users Forum, with the assistance of the Rhyl Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) group, who were on to support Denbighshire County Council's draining and maintenance of the site.

The Forum is made up of both individuals who have an interest in the lake area and its facilities, as well as members of Rhyl Yacht Club, Rhyl Sea Cadets, Rhyl Miniature Railway and Ocean Beach Waterski Club. Work to empty the lake began on Friday, January 24, with the combined group of volunteers reprising their annual event which last year saw them clear 200kg of rubbish during Storm Erik.

Surfers Against Sewage group, volunteer organiser Keith Jones said: "Rhyl community is just amazing. We had folk of all ages turning out to help. A big thank you goes to each and every one of them, with a special mention going to Max, who was celebrating his 9th birthday by doing the clean-up, before going off to his party."

Rhyl Journal:

Volunteer Max, celebrating his ninth birthday by helping out

For the SAS group, the chance to scrub the lake of rubbish while it's drained affords a rare opportunity to include the land mark in their #PlastFreeRhyl project.

This year, the group cleared about half the amount of rubbish collected in 2019, and didn't turn up anything as surprising as last year's dumped mobility scooter, shopping trolleys, unwanted bikes, sandbags or traffic cones.

Mr Jones added: "We managed to collect something like 100kg of rubbish from around the lake, including a discarded Christmas tree, which had been dumped since the lake had been drained, and an empty suitcase.

"As always, plastic items were found too, with discarded plastic bottles, bags and straws all finding their way into the bushes and grassbanks of the Marine Lake surroundings."