Containers Of Bananas Among Latest Unusual Cargo To Wash Up On Sussex Beaches

Containers packed with bananas washed up along the Sussex coastline this week — the latest in a long line of unusual items to reach the county’s shores.

Sixteen containers were lost from the vessel Baltic Klipper off the Isle of Wight on Saturday.

Seven later came ashore at Selsey, with two more found at Pagham Harbour and another two at Bognor Regis.

It’s far from the first time Sussex has seen unexpected cargo drift in.

In March 1901, the steamship Indiana wrecked off East Worthing, sending oranges and lemons spilling onto the beach.

Residents rushed to collect the fruit, and the incident is still marked today with a quirky local tradition of throwing oranges and lemons along the shore.

In January 2008, beaches including Worthing, Ferring and Hastings were closed after more than 2,000 tonnes of timber washed up.

The large haul, which littered the coastline, was later cleared and sold by authorities.

More recently, the county has seen several incidents involving illegal or hazardous items.

Packages of drugs were discovered on Goring beach in October 2023, while nearly one tonne of suspected cocaine was found on beaches at Newhaven and Hastings in May 2021.

The haul was estimated to be worth £80 million.

Large amounts of biobeads — tiny plastic pellets — have also been reported on the coastline.

And last month, up to 10 tonnes of plastic pellets entered the sea at Eastbourne after a fault at Southern Water’s wastewater treatment plant.

This week’s container incident left beaches strewn with insulation material, plastic wrapping and blackened bananas.

Volunteers have been out clearing debris from Selsey and Bognor Regis.

Clare Trotman, beachwatch officer at the Marine Conservation Society, warned that unusual items pose a risk to marine life, especially materials like foam insulation:

“Foam can break down and be ingested by wildlife.

"We encourage people to record what they find and report hazardous items to local councils or the coastguard.”

Residents are also being advised to report any washed-up cargo directly to HM Coastguard’s Receiver of Wreck Service.

“Unusual items washing up on Sussex beaches can pose real risks to fragile habitats and marine wildlife,” said Dean Spears from Sussex Bay.