Residents and walkers on the East Sussex coast were met with a bizarre and unprecedented sight over the weekend as millions of uncooked chips carpeted a popular beach.
A Golden, Chip-Covered Shoreline
The extraordinary scene unfolded at Falling Sands beach, near Beachy Head and Eastbourne, as the tide receded on Sunday. The chips, many still sealed in their plastic packaging, were strewn across the sand, with drifts in some areas reported to be more than two feet deep. Local man Joel Bonnici told the BBC he ‘had to look twice’ during his coastal walk, remarking that ‘the beach looked like the Caribbean golden sands’.
Source of the Spud Surge
The fries are believed to have spewed from at least 20 massive shipping containers that were lost overboard from two separate vessels during recent storms in the English Channel. Ocean currents then carried the maritime mishap en masse to the shores of East Sussex. This incident follows a similar event just two weeks prior, where a large number of bananas washed ashore near Selsey, West Sussex, after containers were lost from another ship.
‘Among the unusual sightings of washed-up items - including onions found earlier this week - nothing compares with this,’ said Mr Bonnici.
Community Clean-Up and Environmental Concerns
A call for volunteers has been issued on a community Facebook page to help clear the vast quantity of chips and, more urgently, the plastic bags littering the coastline. Mr Bonnici, a regular scuba diver, expressed particular concern for a nearby colony of seals, stating: ‘I know what seals are like - if they see the bags they will play with them or try to eat them.’
The Coastguard confirmed that several containers have been recovered or are being monitored after washing up at locations including Selsey, Eastbourne, Newhaven, and Beachy Head. These losses occurred a month after 16 containers fell from the cargo vessel Baltic Klipper near the Isle of Wight, and days after several more were lost from two other ships during Storm Goretti.
In response to the unusual pollution, East Sussex County Council has urged the public to take extra care when visiting the coastline. A spokesperson advised: ‘Please keep dogs on leads as some of the food items washing onto the shoreline may be harmful to them.’
