Almost two tonnes of debris collected from along the coast by Beachy Head and Eastbourne

The sixth Green Sock Movement Marine Debris Boat Removal Operation Day from the Beachy Head and Seven Sisters Extreme Plastic Objects Removal group (BHASSExplore) saw 1.8 tonnes of debris permanently removed from the stretch of coastline beneath the cliffs of Beachy Head.

Twelve volunteers helped with the clean on Thursday, September 7, along with Maritime Voluntary Service crew members and their East Sussex 1 vessel.

A BHASSExplore spokesperson said: “Approximately 11,000kg of nasty, harmful materials have now been collected, bagged and removed from this most iconic location adjacent to the world-famous Beachy Head Lighthouse and important Marine Conservation Zone by this method over the past three years since the BHASSExplore environmental project was founded to clear this magnificent coastscape of as much fishing industry rope, ghost netting and other equipment as possible – as well as all the general shipping debris and other plastic objects and junk that accumulated there over the past six decades.”

The group started the Green Sock movement as a trend for people to share their environmental good deeds whilst wearing green socks.

The spokesperson said since starting the movement, volunteers have also removed more than 50 tonnes of plastic and synthetic materials from the East Sussex coastline and surrounding countryside between Eastbourne's pier and Brighton's marina.

They added: “We are making rubbish removal interesting on a worldwide scale using the amazing East Sussex coastline and beautiful surrounding countryside as our backdrop. We are putting Eastbourne and East Sussex on the global environmental map.”

BHASSEexplore is a cooperative foundation which has the sole purpose of removing as much plastic and man-made debris and rubbish from local coastal habitats including Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters.

A spokesperson from the group said: “Over the past fifty years or more, extreme amounts of all kinds of plastic flotsam and jetsom have found their way into the jagged rock pools and onto remote coves, pushed there by the relentless tides and frequent storms and deposited in the most remote and inaccessible crevices.”

If you would like to join the group in one of its clean-ups, find out more, or donate, please visit https://www.bhassexplore.com/.