A CARDIGAN artist has been commissioned to help highlight the growing problem of plastic pollution.

The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority has commissioned a series of interactive sculptures by Cardigan’s Toby Downing to help raise awareness of the issues and highlight the steps we can all take to improve the current situation during the Year of the Sea.

It is estimated that the equivalent of the contents of a bin lorry full of plastic enters the world’s oceans every single minute and that up to one million sea birds die every year as a result of eating pieces of plastic?

To highlight these and other issues caused by marine litter, five wire-framed models - including a pod of three dolphins, a fish and the emblem of the National Park, a razorbill – will be created.

The sculptures will be appearing at various locations across the National Park and county of Pembrokeshire including shows, beach cleans and other events.

National Park Authority interpretation officer Rebecca Evans said: “As the UK’s only coastal National Park, we are only too aware of how much marine litter is left behind by the tide every day.

“Many volunteers help improve the situation by taking part in beach cleans on the Pembrokeshire coast every year but this is not a sustainable solution.

“There does seem to be some light at the end of the tunnel, with communities taking it upon themselves to reduce the consumption of single use plastics to become plastic-free, and it’s great to see the popularity of the Two-Minute Beach Clean campaign.

“Together with these initiatives, we hope the sculptures can help inspire people to make different choices, such as using reusable cups and bottles and picking up litter when they next visit a beach.”

Some of the sculptures have been filled with marine litter, while others will be filled by the public at special events.