A TEAM of US Navy sailors paid a visit to Arrochar recently to lend a hand with the continuing effort to keep Loch Long’s shores free of marine litter.

The sailors were all crew members on the guided missile destroyer USS Farragut, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, which stopped off at nearby Faslane during a routine deployment as part of the US Navy’s Harry S Truman Strike Group.

A total of 14 sailors volunteered and undertook a Marine Conservation Society Beachwatch survey of the marine litter washing up on Arrochar shore, before being treated to New Orleans style pancakes by local beach guardian Cristina Sanchez-Navarro, who runs the award-winning Ashfield B&B in the village.

Local ‘beach guardian’ Cristina Sanchez-Navarro, who fed the cleaners with New Orleans-style pancakes afterwards, said: “The sailors were shocked to see the amount of litter washing up in Arrochar’s shores, as well as across Scotland more generally.

“They didn’t think the problem was too bad until they took a step down on to the shore.”, where they were confronted by millions of small pieces of single-use plastics, along with some larger pieces of marine litter.

“We do a beach clean every last Sunday of the month and litter picking equipment is now available at the Three Villages Hall for anyone to borrow anytime.”