Wayne, 47, along with Koda, eight, has already filled 10,000 bin bags – and the pair are still only half way into their trip along the coastline. They set out from their home in Lancashire almost three years ago and have covered 3,500 miles so far after crossing off Scotland, Wales, Devon and Cornwall. They have now made their way along the South coast to Brighton where Wayne, who served with the Royal Army Medical Corps, joined a party of litter pickers for the Silent Disco Beach Clean to help remove thousands more discarded items. The pair’s series of walks are in memory of Wayne’s father John, who died in 2012. Funds are being raised for the mental health charity Mind. John suffered bipolar disorder for many years but was an avid walker and loved coastal paths.

Wayne, who is also backed by Keep Britain Tidy, said: “You would think the environmental message about the harm caused by littering would have hit home by now but people still discard rubbish on the beaches which then get washed out to sea causing marine pollution.

“I’m halfway through my journey round the coast of Britain and I’ve been astonished with how much rubbish I have picked up. It is truly shocking that the message is still not getting to some people.”

Amy Gibson, organiser of the Brighton clean-up, said: “Over 100 volunteers joined in and in just two hours we removed over 60 kilos of litter from the area in little over half a mile.

“Over 50,000 people visited Brighton beach on Saturday – the hottest day of the year so far – and we are in desperate need of more bins down there and for people to start taking ownership of their trash.”

On his epic journey Wayne has been giving talks to children in schools and community groups about the need to drum home the environmental message and stop littering.

Despite having 3,500 miles to go, Wayne aims to take a short break from the coast to embark on “Wayne’s Walk to Westminster” where he aims to deliver a letter to the Prime Minister urging tougher penalties for litterbugs.

He and Koda, a Northern Inuit crossbreed, will then resume their walk around Kent, Essex and up the East coast of England.

Wayne is self-funded from savings but also relies on the generosity of environmental campaigners and community groups who give him lodgings and feed him on his journey.

He has a fundraising page at virginmoneygiving.com (search for Wayne Dixon) and has raised more than £10,000 for Mind.

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