Timber alert on coast

There were reports of 10-12ft long planks on the beach at Selsey near the lifeboat station, at central Bognor and further east towards Middleton and Elmer.

Meanwhile a large quantity of the wood has washed up at Worthing.

Coastguards, police and county council officials are keeping an eye on the situation to ensure the safety of the West Sussex coastline, with more than 2,000 tons of timber out in the English Channel.

The cargo ship Ice Prince was on her way to Greece with more than 5,000 tons of wood when she sank 25 nautical miles south of Portland on Monday, January 14.

Her crew of 20 was rescued, but some of the timber they were transporting was lost to the sea.

There are concerns that the sea could throw the timber against shingle banks and groynes, causing flood defence damage. There are also a number of sensitive areas along the coastline facing potential damage.

Chichester, Littlehampton and Shoreham Harbours have issued notices to mariners as the floating wood could be a hazard to vessels, particularly small pleasure craft and small fishing boats.

Pagham Harbour is monitoring any environmental consequences '“ especially if wood should block the entrance or enter the salt marshes in the harbour.

A meeting of agencies involved was held at County Hall in Chichester on Friday (January 18) morning to co-ordinate plans for recovering the wood, which was stored in 10-metre bundles.

The meeting was warned that the operation to recover the timber could last several months.

The owners of the cargo have now appointed salvors to recover the timber, and police have been given the role of ensuring unauthorised people do not try to remove it from the beach. Temporary storage sites near beaches are being designated.

West Sussex County Council is co-ordinating action in an easterly direction, including environmental issues, ports and harbours. Borough and district councils are on standby to help the salvors, and are providing information about owners of property on their foreshores.

The key message from recovery teams '“ please report any wood you find on the beaches, but do not try and take it, or you could face arrest.

West Sussex County Council cabinet member for public protection Peter Evans said: "I must stress that people should not try to take any of the wood for themselves.

"They could face a fine of up to 2,500. It could also be very dangerous to try and carry off such large pieces of wood."

Anyone finding timber on the beach should call Solent Coastguard on

023 9255 9021 or 023 9255 9022 and provide details of where the cargo was found, and how much is actually on the beach.

"The county council has robust plans to deal with all types of marine pollution, and has been working closely with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and other partner agencies on a co-ordinated response," Peter added.

"We don't expect that oil from the Ice Prince will pose any problems along the south coast, however we will be monitoring the entire situation throughout the weekend. We are determined to minimise any damage that could be caused by this timber washing ashore."

To send us your pictures of the timber washing ashore click here

To see a VIDEO of the scene on Worthing beach, click here