"An endless sea of chips": Horrific spill on a UK beach

According to The Financial News, a beach in Sussex in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) has been blanketed with chips. Bags filled with crisps and chips washed ashore and covered the coastline after a container of food fell from a cargo ship.
Foreign media including the New York Post reported on the 19th (local time) that bags of crisps and chips were scattered across the area around the cliffs at Beachy Head near Eastbourne in East Sussex and along Falling Sands Beach. Earlier this year, a food container fell from a cargo ship that had run aground during a storm, and some of the containers that were not recovered began releasing chips and other food that drifted onto the shore.
Local residents joined cleanup efforts, and most of the food, packaging, and plastic bags have now been removed. Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) stated, "Most of the plastic waste that washed up on the beach has been removed by volunteers."
Trisha Barros, who took part in the cleanup, told BBC Radio Sussex, "When we arrived at the beach on Saturday, it was literally a 'sea of chips'," adding, "The bags stretched as far as the eye could see and were piled up to about 50 centimeters high." The New York Post also reported, "In some places, the chips were stacked up to 76 centimeters," and noted that "residents were deeply shocked by the extraordinary sight."
Barros said that on the first day she and her partner collected hundreds of bags, and that more residents joined the cleanup after a call for volunteers was shared on social media.
Barros, who also works as a veterinary nurse, warned, "The crisps, onions, and plastic packaging can all be toxic to wildlife," and added, "We are particularly worried that animals, including seals, might eat the transparent plastic bags."
Trevor Weeks, founding director of the East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance Service (East Sussex WRAS), also raised concerns about possible water pollution caused by the breakdown of the potato products.
He explained, "Localised oxygen depletion could occur, which may negatively affect fish, crustaceans, and small organisms in protected areas or tidal pools." He added, "Food with a high starch content can cause diarrhoea, vomiting, and dehydration in wild animals."
It has been confirmed that the crisps began washing up on Falling Sands Beach after three containers drifted in offshore near Seaford last Tuesday. His Majesty's Coastguard said it had also recovered additional debris and containers near Beachy Head and Littlehampton in West Sussex.
His Majesty's Coastguard reported that an aerial search found no further containers drifting in, while East Sussex County Council urged visitors to the coast to exercise particular caution. The council is currently working with a specialist marine salvage company to discuss follow-up measures.
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter