Beachgoers at a Sussex beach have been left stunned after thousands of chips washed up on the shore.
The discovery was made by local resident Joel Bonnici, who said Falling Sands near Eastbourne was made to “look like the Caribbean golden sands” by the potato flood.
Mr Bonnici, who had ventured out to spot seals near the famous Beachy Head cliffs, said he “had to look twice” upon encountering the spectacle.
“Among the unusual sightings of washed-up items, including onions found earlier this week, nothing compares to this,” he told the BBC.
The cargo spillage originated from Storm Goretti, which battered the south coast earlier this month with winds exceeding 70 miles per hour.
According to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, 17 containers were lost from a single vessel off the Isle of Wight during the tempest.
A further seven empty containers tumbled overboard from a second ship that same night.
The aftermath has seen containers washing ashore across multiple locations, with three arriving at Seaford in East Sussex on Tuesday and another recovered at Littlehampton in West Sussex.
Joel Bonnici told the BBC the white chips transformed the beach to ‘look like the Caribbean golden sands’
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JOEL BONNICI
Volunteers had already been clearing onions and face masks from the coastline before Saturday’s chip deluge.
Mr Bonnici expressed particular alarm about the threat posed to marine wildlife by the plastic packaging strewn across the beach.
He also warned the bags of chips presented a serious hazard to the small seal colony which inhabits the waters nearby.
“I scuba dive quite regularly, and I know what seals are like,” he explained.
“If they see the bags they will play with them or try to eat them. Removing the plastic bags is a priority.”
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Mr Bonnici warned the bags of chips presented a serious hazard to the nearby seal colony
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A volunteer appeal has been circulated via a community Facebook page, urging residents to assist with the clean-up operation.
Stephen Holt, the Eastbourne Borough Council leader, praised those assisting with the efforts.
He said: “I would like to thank the volunteers who are out helping us clean up the beach in Eastbourne and along our seafront.
“We know how important our seafront is, and so to ensure the clean-up is completed as quickly as possible we have diverted all our Neighbourhood First officers and street-sweeping staff to focus entirely on clearing the beach mess caused by the shipping container spillages.
PICTURED: Eastbourne town hall. Council leader Stephen Holt praised members of the public assisting with clean-up efforts
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“I urge anyone assisting on the beach to please do so safely. If you are on-site and require guidance, please ask one of our staff members.
“I have also written to the Government to ask what safeguards can be put in place to avoid these incidences reoccurring.”
The chip spillage follows a similar episode last month, when thousands of bananas washed ashore at Selsey in West Sussex after 16 containers fell from a cargo vessel in rough seas near the Isle of Wight.
Then, 18 containers fell from the Baltic Klipper off the coast of Bembridge on December 6, according to the Maritime Coastguard Agency.