Removal of washed-up banana containers begins

Excavators have removed the first of 11 shipping containers, which were mostly full of bananas, from beaches in West Sussex.

Workers had earlier dug one container from the shingle bank at the beach in Bognor Regis, which was then loaded onto a lorry.

There are still ten more containers to clear after they washed up after falling off the Baltic Klipper on 6 December near the Isle of Wight. Sixteen fell off the ship in total.

Contractors and volunteers have scoured 28km (17 miles) of beach - clearing fruit and metal which came off the containers.

Loader driver Alan Macdowell, who works for AR Banks haulage company, told BBC Radio Sussex said: "It will be roughly one container a day, but hopefully we can do more.

"It depends how close together they are."

A joint statement by Arun District Council, Chichester District Council, West Sussex County Council and environmental management company Ambipar said they were making "massive strides".

They thanked individual volunteers and volunteer groups for their efforts in clearing insulation from the containers, which locals say has been washing up with every high tide.

The authorities said they have taken samples of the white insulation for independent testing to find out what it is. They expect results in the next week.

A spokesperson said the plan was to move the shipping containers into nearby car parks where they can be dismantled and taken away.

Seven containers washed up in Selsey, while two washed up at Pagham Harbour and two at Bognor Regis.

Dozens of bystanders came to watch the metal container get hauled up the beach today.

Nicola Loft, who has been on holiday in Butlins for the last three weeks, saw the container wash up.

She said: "I've never seen so many bananas in all my life. Children were kicking avocados down the road.

She said that her daughter called her to ask she had seen the news, adding "Then I looked out the window and saw it all.

"We could see all the foam that had come off and all the volunteers clearing it up."

Resident Sarah Jayne said: "There's been a lot of plastic washed up every day, I've been picking it up when I walk my dog. It's a real danger for the sea life."

David Watts, another resident, said: "I never thought anything like this would happen. We've done what we can to clean the beach up."

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