Shipping containers clean-up costs council £2.7m

The cost of cleaning up debris left by 40 shipping containers has cost West Sussex County Council £2.7million.

In December and January the containers, many containing bananas, fell off a cargo ship near the Isle of Wight in two separate incidents.

It resulted in significant shoreline pollution and widespread debris, especially along the Selsey and Bognor Regis coast.

Residents at the time described scenes of "carnage" and likened the sea to "polystyrene soup".

The county council worked with district and borough colleagues, and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, in a large-scale clean-up operation.

Now Deborah Urquhart, cabinet member for environment and climate change, has revealed the cost of the operation, and confirmed contractual arrangements with Ambipar Response Ltd, which supported the emergency clean-up and is now in the demobilisation phase, the Local Democracy Reporting Services says.

A report from Wayne Lewis, the council's service director for environment and public protection, said the upfront costs to the council were not expected to have a significant impact on its financial position.

The report says: "All costs of the operation are being carefully collated, and the council is working closely with the shipping companies' insurers to ensure that all recoverable costs are claimed."

The authority previously called the contribution of local volunteers "invaluable", and said it was "extremely grateful" for their help in the clear-up operation.

The bananas were not the first time unusual cargo has washed by on South East shores.

A giant German submarine, drugs worth £80m and a dead elephant calf have been found over the years.

Meanwhile, thousands of bags of chips washed up near Eastbourne in January.

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