Thousands Of Ominous Pink Bottles Wash Ashore On Poldhu Cove, Lizard Peninsula In Cornwall

There's 10,000 Bright Pink Reasons Not To Hit The Beach In Cornwall Today
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Mystery surrounds the emergence of thousands of bright pink detergent bottles that have washed ashore in Cornwall, creating one of the most surreal images of 2016 so far.

National Trust volunteers are helping to clear the bottles, which are believed to have fallen off a a shipping container in bad weather.

The colourful containers appeared on Poldhu Cove on the Lizard peninsular on Sunday and the volunteers have been working ever since.

The Poldhu Beach Cafe tweeted the "mysterious" pink bottles were sealed and asked where they had come from. People responded saying they looked like Vanish liquid bottles.

The volunteers are clearing away the bottles as they pose a risk to wildlife if they leak.

The National Trust's Justin Whitehouse told the BBC: "The main worry is all that detergent going into our beautiful marine environment, but thankfully most are full.

"We think it's a container that has gone overboard from a container ship, during stormy seas."

In a statement, Cornwall Council said: "The National Trust who own the beach at Poldhu have arranged for the bottles to be cleared away.

"In the meantime the public are advised to keep children and dogs at a safe distance from the bottles should any more be washed up.

"No attempt should be made to recover the bottles."

A pickup of the bottles is due to take place from noon today.