"A huge pollution incident" says MP for Chichester on the containers crashing into beaches.

Chichester’s MP Jess Brown-Fuller says containers washing up in Selsey, Pagham Harbour and Bognor have caused an enormous pollution incident.

Plastic and other materials holding bananas have been smashed into pieces, littering the shoreline.

Volunteers and a contractor for West Sussex County Council are continuing to pick up debris.

The incident has caused widespread concern amongst residents, who can see shards of plastic, some in tiny pieces, that sea life could eat.  There are also shards of sharp metal that dogs and people could stand on and seriously injure themselves.

V2 Radio has put these concerns to Ambipar, who have referred us to this multi-council statement:

Statement provided by Arun District Council, Chichester District Council, West Sussex County Council and Ambipar:

A major clean-up operation is underway following several shipping containers washing up on the West Sussex shoreline.

The clean-up follows an incident where the ship Baltic Kipper tipped and shed 16 shipping containers into the Solent on Saturday evening. Nine of the containers have come ashore and shed their contents. Several agencies have been working together to ensure the containers are secured and the waste, mainly fruit and polystyrene, is collected.

Arun District Council, Chichester District Council and West Sussex County Council, are leading the clean-up with Ambipar, an environmental management company, on site to help secure the containers as well as collect the waste. The first stage of this process has involved assessing the sites and the scale of the issue, so that we can put adequate plans in place.

Ambipar is carrying out the work using established shoreline clean up assessment techniques to quantify, collect and categorise the waste. After waste is collected, it is being taken to a designated site in a nearby car park, where it will be managed and disposed of safely and in accordance with local regulations.

The local community will see an increase in contractors and council staff working along the beaches over the coming days and alongside beach operations, Ambipar teams are also visiting nearby residential gardens where debris has blown or washed in, helping residents remove litter and restore their outdoor spaces. Skips are also being placed at the sites in Bognor Regis and Selsey. Staff from Arun and Chichester councils are also assisting.

The agencies involved want to say a big thank you to all those in our communities who have helped with collecting waste. Ambipar staff in branded uniforms will be in the areas and can direct where waste should be placed.

Whilst it is appreciated that people want to help, they should also take care to ensure their safety as there is sharp metal on the beaches from the containers. All help is welcomed, but we ask you to please take care. It is also important that any waste collected is left in the correct place for collection and not taken away by individuals or groups for disposal.

The clean-up will take some time, but in the meantime the containers will be secured so they can’t go back out to sea and security will also be put in place to secure the areas.

Further investigation is ongoing in relation to the remaining containers and updates will be provided as this situation progresses.

If you would like to report debris or support the clean-up, please email: marine.response@ambipar.com

Credit: Donna Thretheway, Selsey Beach Litter Ninjas

Credit: Donna Thretheway, Selsey Beach Litter Ninjas

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