The clean-up of beaches along the Rother coastline is continuing after the contents of shipping containers lost from two ships during Storm Goretti on 8 January have been washing up on local beaches.
This follows an earlier incident on 6 December 2025 when containers were lost from a ship in the Solent depositing bananas, avocados and insulation foam on beaches along the Sussex shoreline.
Rother Council officers are working with other district and borough councils, East Sussex County Council and the emergency and environmental agencies, alongside local volunteers. to clear the beaches. Foam insulation, nets of onions, garlic, ear buds, facemasks, plastic cups and other items have been found on the beaches at Hastings, Winchelsea Beach and Camber.
There is a particular urgency to the clearing of the insulating foam due to the risk that it will quickly break down into smaller pieces.
Dog owners are being urged to keep their pets away from the affected areas and on leads when on the beach as onions and garlic are poisonous to dogs.
Chris Corrigan, CEO of the Sussex Wildlife Trust said, “Debris is washing up all along the Sussex coast from Selsey in the west to our Rye Harbour Nature Reserve in the east, so the clean-up is a mammoth task, and we are grateful to all the volunteers, local authorities and others who have stepped in to help.
“There are calls for the shipping owners to pay for the clean-up costs which we fully support and, if needed, will play our part in ensuring this happens.
“The container debris spill is an ongoing incident which has the potential to affect the Sussex coast for weeks or even months to come. We will contribute to the clean-up effort where we can by mobilising our volunteers to sensitive areas, in line with local authority guidance.”
Councillor Doug Oliver, leader of Rother District Council said, “If you are helping with the clean-up effort, please take extra care taking note of tide times and sticking to the beaches only. Don’t empty liquids found inside containers or packaging, do not remove netting from onions and garlic as it makes it more challenging to remove them from the beach, and leave any collected items next to the nearest RDC litter bin so they can be easily collected for disposal.
“If you spot any waste, email coastal@rother.gov.uk. Sightings of shipping containers must be reported to Solent Coastguard on 0344 382 0560.”
Further guidance for volunteers can be found here.
Image Credits: Corin Bennett .