Channel Islands: Thousands of full bottles washed up

A group of children collected 566 bottles from Lihou Island in Guernsey

Thousands of full plastic water bottles have washed up along the coasts of the Channel Islands.

Many have been washed up on St Ouen's Bay in Jersey and Lihou Island in Guernsey, where a youth group collected 566 bottles at the weekend.

About 5,000 water bottles have already been collected in Guernsey alone.

Marine biologist Richard Lord said he believed the bottles came from a cargo ship in a pallet which was broken apart during the recent storms.

The water bottles have been appearing across beaches after recent stormy weather

Mr Lord said clearing the full bottles had been "incredibly wasteful" because many had had to be emptied to carry them off beaches.

He said: "Single-use plastic has a huge environmental impact, not only on fossil fuels to manufacture it and all the emissions associated with producing these bottles, but then the disposable costs as well to society."

Plastic bottles were "very convenient to use" he said, "but it's ... storing up a long-term problem for our environment."

Participants from the youth group from St Saviours Church collecting bottles on Lihou Island said it was "sad" seeing the amount of bottles.

The States of Guernsey thanked islanders for their efforts and said it would continue to monitor the beaches.

Gusts of 72mph (116km/h) were recorded in Alderney and 67mph (108km/h) in Jersey on Friday when Storm Eunice hit the islands.

The water bottles were full and often had to be emptied before being cleared

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