Visitors to North Down’s beaches are being urged to take their rubbish home after a series of warm‑weather weekends left bins overflowing and litter strewn across several sites.

At Helen’s Bay, bins were set alight and a child reportedly picked up a discarded syringe without a needle earlier this month. Millisle Lagoon saw similar problems, with residents warning that accumulated waste could attract vermin.

Councillor Alistair Cathcart described the situation at Helen’s Bay as a difficult battle for staff and volunteers and said societal change is required. He noted that waste disposal already accounts for more than a third of the council budget and argued that adding more bins simply passes the cost to ratepayers. Cathcart also proposed a bylaw to restrict or ban disposable barbecues, which he said frequently burn out council bins.

Fellow councillor Stephen Hollywood called the summer litter antisocial behaviour and a threat to wildlife and the marine environment, urging visitors to use the bins provided or bring waste home. Green Party councillor Lauren Kendall praised the volunteers who clean the beaches but said the actions of those who leave piles of litter are frustrating and disrespectful.

At Millisle, councillor Eddie Thompson said irresponsible behaviour was continuing and repeated the call for personal responsibility. North Down MLA Stephen Dunne asked the council to increase bin numbers and collection frequency and paid tribute to community‑minded residents who litter‑pick.

The Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, which maintains Crawfordsburn Country Park including Helen’s Bay and Crawfordsburn beaches, said staff presence was increased over the busy bank holiday weekend. Litter was cleared each morning, but the volume generated by large crowds proved too much for crews to keep on top of. A spokesman called the dumping unacceptable and stressed that maintaining the beaches is a shared responsibility.

A council spokeswoman confirmed that bins at Millisle Lagoon are emptied daily on weekends and bank holidays, and collections were doubled over the Twelfth weekend and another recent weekend. Four collection vehicles were deployed each day, each gathering two full loads. The council repeated its message that visitors should take their waste home if a bin is full.