Thousands of unopened plastic bottles wash up on Sussex beaches Brighton News

The bizarre phenomenon may be linked to a similar event on the shores of the Channel Islands in February, when an excess of 5,000 unopened bottles of water appeared on beaches in Jersey, Guernsey and France.

The mystery cargo is believed to have come from a transport ship which dumped four containers overboard in the English Channel on February 16, causing the bottles to wash out days later.

On Sunday, members of the Keep Lancing Lovely litter collection group spotted the bottles on Lancing Beach.

Thousands of unopened plastic bottles wash up on Sussex beaches

After posting on social media, several members of the public arrived to help with the cleanup.

Keep Lancing Lovely member Keith Stainer said: “It wasn’t just the bottles, it was also a lot of twine, raffia and cable ties.

“I stayed for about two and a half hours putting it in bags. Everything was a handy pump.

Oranges are also said to have washed up in Pevensey.

Among the debris, five dead birds were also spotted, including gannets – a species not usually found in Lancing.

“It was quite heartbreaking to see,” Keith added.

It is not yet known if the bottles on the Sussex shore are from the same freighter or if other items are expected to run aground.

Thousands of unopened plastic bottles wash up on Sussex beaches

“It’s a shame it’s not like that Whiskey Galore movie,” Keith said.

Footage from the scene shows thousands of plastic bottles being placed in trash bags by workers.

Last year, a nurse was stunned when she found a 50-year-old washing-up liquid bottle washed up on a beach.

Sammie Aplin was doing her daily beach cleanup when she spotted the bottle of Fairy Liquid on the pebbles near Brighton Palace Pier.

The bottle was partially destroyed, but its distinctive brand image remained “remarkably” intact.

Sammie, who lives in Waterloo Street, Hove, says she has researched images of Fairy Liquid over the decades and matched them with bottles dating back to 1970.