Conservationists cleaning up a remote island in Scotland found a 40-year-old McVitie’s Hobnob wrapper among the plastic waste on the beach
Beach cleans happen up and down the country, and many conservationists are no stranger to the things that wash up on our shores. However, during lockdown, Scottish Wildlife Trust rangers found ‘huge amounts’ of human-made litter on the isolated spot of Handa Island just off the rugged northwest coast.
Amongst the litter found on the beach was a McVitie’s Hobnob biscuit wrapper, which after some research, the team discovered it was from the 1980s. In the ranger’s latest blog post, they said, “It is quite incredible and sobering that it is not only still intact, but also perfectly legible.”
This comes after two people died and several were injured on Cornwall beaches, with the RNLI calling on local authorities to restrict beach access until lockdown measures are over.
The rangers also found a can of Coke that not only was still intact with the beverage inside, but it also wasn’t passed the expiry date either.
Handa Island is a remote spot on the Scottish coast and has not had permanent human residents since the 19th century. The area is now a wildlife reserve, and during lockdown, only a few rangers remained and have been monitoring wildlife and clearing litter washed up onto the beach.
Litter left on beaches after easing of lockdown restrictions
Since the lockdown rules were eased, more people have been flocking to the UK beaches to enjoy the sunny weather. However, disgruntled locals and councils are shocked by the amount of litter left behind from visitors to beauty spots across the country.
The Mirror reported that photos were shared of a pile of rubbish left behind at Durdle Door in Dorset. Plus, gas canisters and waste were left everywhere on Southsea Common as hundreds of people enjoyed the weather.
The number of people leaving disposable BBQs at beauty spots has also been an issue, including some leaving smouldering fires that could cause larger fires due to the dry grass. One councillor, Hugh Ashton of Lichfield City Council, said:
“Beacon Park is a wonderful community asset. Let’s keep it that way – tidy up after yourselves.”
Local authorities around the country echoed this, as many saw an increase in visitors and rubbish left in beauty spots as a result. Many fear these issues could get worse over the coming weeks as the Prime Minister’s announcement last Thursday means that people can meet in groups of six outside from today.
However, there were pleas from the police in Merseyside to continue social distancing due to the scenes at Formby Beach over the weekend.
A local ambulance worker tweeted, “Not even halfway through my shift and #Formby is rammed with thousands of people out, flouting #lockdown rules.”
Pictures also showed the aftermath of a day of visitors, and the community group Plastic Free Formby described it looking like the ‘morning after at Glastonbury.’
The local council said that the beaches were not able to cope with the high level of visitors. Plus, Mersey Fire and Rescue Services said they had attended a significant number of grass fires in recent weeks.
