Discarded fishing lines and dead sea left at Whitmore Bay

Sarah Vaughan, 40, was enjoying a family trip to the Knap when she discovered the discarded waste left behind from other beach goers.

The waste included tangled fishing lines and dead sea creatures including two dogfish and a skate.

Sarah said: “We were at Whitmore Bay on the weekend rock pooling with the kids towards the Jackson Bay side of the beach.

Sarah's family attempting to help a skate (Image: Sarah Vaughan) "We found fish that have been caught by a discarded fishing line, and a skate also we last visited here late spring and both times we’ve found fish that have been caught.”

Sarah and her family came to visit from Cardiff and are looking to move to the area. But she has been shocked that she’s come across this incident twice.

She said: “Who knows how many fish are suffering a similar fate either side of our visits. The skate was still alive, and my partner unhooked it and returned it to the sea.”

Not properly disposing of fishing equipment is sometimes referred to as ‘ghost fishing’ and can be extremely harmful to exiting wildlife at sea and on land.

Incidents of marine life choking on fishing equipment because of ‘ghost fishing’ is a common occurrence.

A spokesperson for the Vale of Glamorgan Council said: “Fly-tipping is a crime that the council takes extremely seriously, with our officers regularly patrolling known hotspots.

Anyone found to be committing this offence could face serious consequences, including a Fixed Penalty Notice, prosecution, fines of up to £50,000 or even imprisonment.”