Hundreds of thousands of bags of potato chips and other cargo have washed up along East Sussex beaches, surprising residents and prompting ongoing cleanup efforts, after several shipping containers were lost at sea during severe weather earlier this season.
Beachgoers were left stunned when stretches of coastline near Eastbourne and Beachy Head were covered in golden potato chips, some piled up to two and a half feet deep. Local walker Joel Bonnici described the scene as looking “like the Caribbean golden sands,” a striking visual that captured national attention.
The debris is believed to have originated from containers that went overboard during Storm Goretti, which battered the south coast with strong winds and rough seas. Some of these containers — carrying food and packaged goods — were lost from a cargo vessel off the Isle of Wight, with tidal currents then carrying the contents eastwards along the southern English shoreline.
Alongside the chips, other items including bananas, onions, polystyrene, single-use masks and plastic packaging have been found scattered across beaches from Seaford to West Sussex, reflecting the range of cargo lost at sea during recent maritime incidents.
Response and Cleanup
Authorities, including HM Coastguard, have been monitoring the debris fields from the air, tracking floating containers and coordinating with local councils to support cleanup operations. People who find washed-up materials have been urged not to interact with the debris directly, as containers and loose cargo can be unstable and hazardous.
Local volunteers have stepped forward to help with the cleanup, using community networks and social media to organise litter picks along affected shorelines. Eastbourne and other councils have also deployed staff to assist in removing debris to protect both public safety and the natural environment.
Environmental and Safety Concerns
Officials have expressed concern about the potential impacts on wildlife, particularly from plastic packaging and loose food items that could attract animals or pose ingestion hazards. The presence of food waste and packaging near seal colonies and other coastal habitats has heightened calls for swift cleanup and careful waste disposal.
The spillage also highlights the broader issue of shipping container losses at sea, which can occur due to bad weather, heavy seas or accidents, and result in unexpected debris washing up far from the original incident.
