Why are onions turning up on Brighton beach?

In the past six weeks, three separate incidents have seen 24 shipping containers washing up in Selsey Beach in West Sussex, among many such along the Sussex coastline. Photograph: Selsey Beach Litter Ninjas

Coral Evans was walking along the beach in Brighton on Tuesday evening when she came across an unfamiliar sight.

“Hundreds of dust masks had washed up, along with single-use plastic gloves and cans of dried milk,” she said. “It was odd to see in winter – because nothing surprises us in summertime with the amount of people on the beach.”