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Giant plastic coils wash up on coast after Storm Dennis

Llantwit Major Coastguard Plastic coil on Southerndown beachLlantwit Major Coastguard
Some of the coils of plastic pipe have washed up on Southerndown beach

Giant coils of plastic pipes have washed up on beaches in Wales and Devon after a container carrying them was lost from a cargo ship in a storm.

The 200 coils, up to 400m (1,310ft) in length, fell from a vessel travelling from Ireland last month.

Makers Pipelife UK said it would "collect the coils as quickly as possible" for recycling.

It said about 80 coils, used in the plumbing sector, have been found so far.

Steve Marsh Plastic piping on the beachSteve Marsh
This coil was pictured on Llantwit Major beach in Vale of Glamorgan

The Porthcawl branch of the National Coastwatch Institution said its volunteers had found the coils at several locations around south Wales.

"These coils are getting washed up along the coastline from north Wales, up the Bristol Channel and across the north Devon coastline," it said in a statement on Facebook.

It said about 30 coils had been spotted on beaches in the Porthcawl area and that it was passing on information to the manufacturers.

Llantwit Major Coastguard Plastic coil on Southerndown beachLlantwit Major Coastguard
Pipelife UK said it hoped to collect the piping as quickly as possible

The piping was on a ship en route to Holland when it was hit by gale force winds during Storm Dennis, according to the firm.

In a statement, it said: "We are deeply grateful to the general public for informing us when they encounter them as this allows us to respond and collect the coils as quickly as possible, with due regard to the safety issues involved.

"Our commitment to reducing plastic waste is a fundamental operating principle of our company and when unforeseen accidental incidents occur such as this one, we strive to remedy the situation as quickly as possible."

Steve Marsh Plastic coil on a beachSteve Marsh
About 80 of 200 coils have been found so far

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) said it was investigating after debris washed up along the shoreline in south Wales and north Devon with councils coordinating the clean-up.

Its Llantwit Major crew found coils at Southerndown and placed them above the high water mark to be collected for disposal last week along with other finds by its teams covering Croyde and Bideford in Devon.

The MCA asked people who spotted the coils to report their location to its local operations centres.

"This material has an owner, therefore, if you do recover anything, be aware that you have a legal requirement to report it," it said.