Plastic in paradise: Photos present winter solar vacation spot common with British vacationers strewn with litter

A Mediterranean coastline popular with UK package holiday tourists is increasingly blighted by plastic waste – with visitors forced to side-step bottles and carrier bags if they want to enjoy the sands.  

A British holidaymaker staying close to the North Tunisian coastal resort of Hammamet, which sits on the southern edge of the country’s Cap Bon peninsula, shared the shocking photos with the Daily Mail after visiting last week. 

The images, taken at Yasmine Hammamet beach, show hundreds of pieces of plastic waste on the golden sands that woo thousands of tourists to them every year – and look spotless in promotional photos.  

Thanks to its short flight time, year-round warm weather and low prices – an all-inclusive five-star hotel can cost from around £50 per person per night in low season, the North African country is an increasingly popular winter sun getaway for Brits. 

However, many tourists with breaks planned to Tunisia’s Mediterranean coast in the coming weeks are likely to be horrified at the sight of the litter-laden beaches that are likely to greet them. 

Plastic bottles strewn across Yasmine Hammamet beach in northern Tunisia; the images were taken by a British tourist visiting the North African country last week 

 ‘Embedded’: The holidaymaker said it was sad to see so much plastic waste on the beaches

One image shows a wide expanse of fine sand with empty large plastic drinks bottles at half-metre intervals, while other photos depict seaweed washed up to shore latticed with single-use plastic – including discarded carrier bags. 

The tourist who took the images, who doesn’t wish to be named, said he was disheartened to see the spectacular natural coastline tarnished by piles of litter, adding that while much of the plastic was washed up, there was plenty that also appeared to have simply been dropped on the beach. 

The beach is semi-private, he explained, and shared between several hotels in the Yasmine Hammamet area.

He told the Daily Mail: ‘The rubbish was there all the time, embedded into the sand, even when the tide was out. 

‘As it was off season, the beach was quiet… but it wouldn’t be pleasant to sit amongst that much litter.’ 

Brought in with the tide – but some also discarded by beachgoers, images of the plastic waste at Yasmine Hammamet beach 

How the coast looks in the brochures…but the reality meant it was difficult to walk on the sand without side-stepping litter

The tourist said the beaches closer to the historic fort town of Hammamet were significantly cleaner. 

The town is one of Tunisia‘s key sunshine destinations, thanks to its 15th century medina and thermal springs. 

He said: ‘There were other beaches nearby that were lovely, especially up the coast at Hammamet itself.’

The north African country has seen tourism from the UK rise significantly in recent years, with visitor numbers up 37 per cent last year on 2024 figures. 

The Tunisian National Tourist Office in the UK said earlier this month that the destination had reached a ‘historic milestone’ after breaking the previous 2014 record for the highest number of UK visitors in a year. 

Last year, 450,000 UK tourists flew in, up 25,000 on the previous highest figure in 2014 of 425,000.

While such coastal litter levels might not be quite so visible on UK beaches, plastic waste is still a significant problem. 

This week it was revealed that more than 40 marine animals had to be rescued in 2025 from the waters along the Yorkshire coastline after becoming entangled in plastic objects in the sea or on the shoreline. 

Speaking to the BBC this week, Chris Cook, of British Divers Marine Life Rescue, urged visitors to leave nothing but footsteps on the nation’s beaches. 

He said: ‘Unfortunately, if they are entangled, there’s a very high risk the animal will not survive.’

‘There’s everything from plastic, to rope, to flying rings, that holidaymakers bring to the coast. For our marine life they’re an absolute nightmare.”

‘If you take it to the beach, make sure it goes home with you. If you see something on the beach, pick it up and put it in the bin. It’s just taking that bit of responsibility.’