Wirral beauty spot repairs 'causing plastic pollution' Published duration 22 August 2019

image copyright LDRS image caption Bad weather removed the filling

Council work to shore up a cliff face on a coastal nature reserve has caused a potential pollution problem, residents and conservationists claim.

Waste material and polyurethane has been washed up on the shore near Hilbre Island in Wirral after bad weather and tides dispersed the filling.

The mess appears to have come as council-contracted workers carried out support work to a cliff face.

Wirral Council said it appreciated the concern shown by visitors to Hilbre.

Dr Emily Baxter, senior marine conservation officer with the North West Wildlife Trust, said: "I don't believe it was a good idea to use this material."

She added there is an increasing awareness about the environmental damage posed by plastic pollution in the sea.

The tide washed out sections of the polyurethane filling, with pieces as big as 2ft (60cm) in diameter swept out to sea or washed up on shore, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has found.

In a letter to a local councillor, one resident wrote: "This lovely island is a big tourist attraction and it's the height of the holiday season.

image copyright Gary Rogers/Geograph image caption Hilbre Island is a nature reserve

"Why has this iconic Wirral tourist attraction been despoiled like this?"

Another person tweeted pictures of the debris.

Hilbre Island is a nature reserve between the Wirral Peninsula and North Wales. It has been recognised as a unique place to see wading birds and wildfowl for hundreds of years and is part of the Dee Estuary SSSI (Site of Specific Scientific Interest).

Wirral Council, which owns the island, said: "The work that is taking place at Hilbre is essential as it will strengthen support for part of the cliff face where movement has been noted.

"Unfortunately, severe weather conditions over the weekend had caused damage to this initial work and resulted in some of the materials used being blown across the island."