With a range of picturesque beaches, north Norfolk remains a popular destination for visitors.
But like most parts of England, fly-tipping is an issue and earlier this year there were high-profile cases of littering on beaches in Cromer and Wells.
With temperatures soaring to 30C (86F), the council’s clean-up in Cromer took two days.
Not long after, Bates, who moved to the town last year, put out an appeal for volunteers to pick litter.
He said 45 people had signed up.
“We felt kind of embarrassed that our lovely little town was getting the wrong headlines about having litter,” he explained.
“We’ve been doing two picks a week [collecting] bagfuls and bagfuls of rubbish.
“You walk around, there’s tourists, there’s locals all saying ‘well done’.”