Lego keeps washing up on beaches in Cornwall
- Published
You might expect seaweed and shells to wash up on the beach - but in Cornwall, they get Lego.
In 1997 a goods container filled with millions of Lego pieces fell off a ship and into the sea.
Ayshah visited a beach where thousands of Lego pieces had washed in from the sea in 2014
Since then hundreds of pieces have washed up on the beaches of Cornwall.
By chance many of the lost toys were ocean themed, so locals started finding miniature life jackets and octopuses on the beach - as well as dragons and daisies.
Tracey from Newquay collects the washed-up Lego. She said: "It's quite competitive. If you heard that your neighbour had found a green dragon, you'd want to go out and find one yourself."
A Lego octopus is a rare find
Since 1997 the lost toys could have drifted 62,000 miles and could end up on almost any beach.
Although it's fun to find Lego on the beach, it can pose a risk to wildlife.
How much Lego was lost?
Black octopus - 4,200
Yellow life jacket - 26,600
Dragons (black and green) - 33,941
Daisy flowers (in fours - white, red, yellow) - 353,264
In total 4,756,940 pieces lost overboard in a single container
Source: Beachcombers' Alert, vol 2. No 2 1997
- Published7 January 2015
