'Thousands of bags of chips' wash up at East Sussex beauty spot

Volunteers have been cleaning up debris – including polystyrene, onions and disposable face masks – spilled by shipping containers on beaches across East and West Sussex.

The containers are thought to have fallen from two separate vessels off the Isle of Wight following severe weather during Storm Goretti.

Joel Bonnici and his partner Trisha were hiking to see seals at Falling Sands, below Beachy Head, on Saturday, January 17, when they discovered ‘thousands of bags of chips’ strewn across the beach.

Joel said: “Like everyone has been doing to help out, we were picking up the last of the onion bags as we went.

"We did not expect to turn the corner and see a new scene of chips and chip bags stretching across the beach towards the lighthouse.

"From a distance, you would think the beach was covered in yellow sand.

"Immediately we both decided the hike was over and we would spend the next couple of hours clearing as many bags as we could until it got too dark to continue. Other families were doing the same and it was nice to see people coming together for the environment.

“It is sad that so much plastic pollution is just meters from the seal colony.

"I hope if enough people come down, we can have it cleared before the weekend ends.”

In a statement shared on Wednesday, January 14, Eastbourne Borough Council leader Stephen Holt said: “I would like to thank the volunteers who are out helping us clean up the beach in Eastbourne and along our seafront.

​“We know how important our seafront is, and so to ensure the clean-up is completed as quickly as possible, we have diverted all our Neighbourhood First officers and street sweeping staff to focus entirely on clearing the beach mess caused by the shipping container spillages.

​“I urge anyone assisting on the beach to please do so safely. If you are on-site and require guidance, please ask one of our staff members.

"I have also written to the Government to ask what safeguards can be put in place to avoid these incidences reoccurring.”

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said it recovered a container off the coast of Littlehampton on Wednesday. Containers identified at Selsey, Eastbourne, Newhaven, Rustington, Rottingdean and Beachy Head are ‘currently being monitored’, the MCA confirmed.

In an update shared on Wednesday, an MCA spokesperson said: “An HM Coastguard fixed-wing aircraft has been sent to surveil the area this morning and continues to monitor for further missing units.

"All containers will be assessed to establish their origin.”

Clean-up operations are continuing between Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters. Environmental non-profit Bhassexplore has urged locals to ‘please help us if you can’, calling the incident a ‘coastline disaster’.

Anyone who wishes to help out should avoid high tide to ensure their safety. For tide times, visit: www.sussex-tides.com.