Coastal 'carnage' from banana container debris

Plastic, foam insulation and bananas from a group of damaged shipping containers are still washing ashore with every tide, residents have said.

Dozens of volunteers have been cleaning debris from beaches in West Sussex, after 16 containers fell overboard from a cargo ship off the Isle of Wight on Saturday.

Residents said the beaches were a scene of "carnage" and the sea was like "polystyrene soup".

Councils said a contractor had been appointed to lead the clean-up in Selsey, Pagham Harbour and Bognor Regis, and people should avoid the area.

Donna Tretheway, from Selsey Beach Litter Ninjas, said 50 people worked for three hours cleaning containers the beach on Monday.

She said: "It's literally carnage. We completely cleared a half-mile section of beach.

"But it's all back again with the next high tide."

Ms Tretheway said she was frustrated the only sign of action by authorities was "one man with a clipboard".

"There are mixed emotions," she said. "Heartbreak because of the scale of the problem.

"Anger at the lack of response. And pride because the community has stepped up incredibly well."

Wildlife cameraman Mark Sharman from Selsey echoed Ms Tretheway's fear of a "serious ecological disaster".

On Facebook, he joined appeals to volunteers to help with the clean-up on Monday.

He posted: "I know the official advice is to leave it to the contractors to clear up, but the longer the foam is left, the smaller it will become, turning into microplastics, which will remain in the ecosystem.

"So time is of the essence to stop it from being a permanent pollutant."

Gavin Jones, whose garden backs onto the beach at Selsey, said he became worried when a group of three joined containers battered sea defences near his home.

He said: "Throughout the night, we heard it crashing against the sea wall. There are a few scratches.

"It's knocked out a few posts of groynes."

He said beaches were "strewn with rubble" and the sea was "like polystyrene soup... all floating on the top".

Workers from council contractor Ambipar were pictured at Selsey on Monday.

West Sussex County Council, Arun District Council and Chichester District Council said the environmental management firm would lead the clean-up and was placing skips.

They said 11 of the 16 containers from the cargo ship Baltic Klipper had been found - seven at Selsey, two at Pagham Harbour and two at Bognor Regis.

The ship's operator, Seatrade, said 11 loaded and five empty containers were lost as the vessel was approaching Portsmouth Port.

It said the contents were not hazardous and all of the ship's crew were safe.

The firm said the exact circumstances of the incident had not yet been established.

The councils urged people to avoid beaches due to possible metal fragments and not to consume any fruit that had come ashore.

They said it was not yet known how long the clean-up operation would last.

The Environment Agency said it was "closely monitoring the potential impact of the incident to wildlife and water".

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