Thousands Of Bags Of Chips Wash Up On Sussex Beach

Thousands of bags of chips have washed up on a beach near Eastbourne, after several shipping containers drifted ashore along the Sussex coastline earlier this week.

Local resident Joel Bonnici said he “had to look twice” when he went for a walk at Falling Sands, near the Beachy Head cliffs, on Saturday.

He said:

“The beach looked like the Caribbean golden sands. In some areas the chips were two-and-a-half feet deep.

"Among all the unusual things that have washed up this week, nothing compares to this.”

A call-out has since been issued on a community Facebook page asking for volunteers to help clear the chips and the plastic packaging from the beach.

Mr Bonnici said removing the plastic bags is now the top priority, warning they pose a serious risk to wildlife — particularly a nearby colony of seals.

He added:

“If seals see the bags, they’ll try to play with them or eat them. That’s the real danger here.”

HM Coastguard confirmed that several containers have washed ashore across the Sussex coast, including at Seaford, Eastbourne, Newhaven, Rustington, Rottingdean and Beachy Head.

A further container was recovered offshore near Littlehampton.

They said an aircraft surveyed the area on Friday and no additional containers were found at sea, but debris is continuing to be monitored.

East Sussex County Council has urged people visiting the coastline to take extra care, advising dog owners to keep pets on leads as some of the food items may be harmful.

They are also asking the public to report any new debris to their local district or borough council.

Eastbourne Borough Council has been contacted for comment.