Council ending banana container clean-up

A local authority has said it is reducing its coastal clean-up operation after multiple shipping containers washed ashore.

West Sussex County Council (WSCC) said there had been a "significant reduction" in the amount of debris now being found on its shoreline.

In December, 16 shipping containers - mostly filled with bananas - fell off a cargo ship near the Isle of Wight.

More than 154 tonnes of waste have been collected and disposed of so far, WSCC said.

Containers washed up in Selsey, Pagham Harbour and Bognor Regis, sparking environmental concerns and a large clean-up operation.

Residents at the time described scenes of "carnage" and likened the sea to "polystyrene soup".

Further containers were lost and washed up along the West Sussex coastline and elsewhere following stormy weather in early January.

WSCC, which led the clean-up, said "strong progress" had been made.

"As the volume of waste has decreased substantially, work is now under way to begin a phased demobilisation of the response, with the size of the workforce being reduced to reflect the current level of activity," it added.

The authority said "extensive" shoreline surveys assessing cleanliness supported the decision to stand down.

It called the contribution of local volunteers "invaluable" and said it was "extremely grateful".

The bananas were not the first time unusual cargo has washed by on South East shores.

A giant German submarine, drugs worth £80m and a dead elephant calf have been found over the years.

Meanwhile, thousands of bags of chips washed up near Eastbourne in January.

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