Sir Keir Starmer has praised the “extraordinary” volunteers who helped clear-up Sussex beaches after shipping containers mainly filled with bananas were washed ashore.
Teams of local volunteers raced to avert environmental damage last month by collecting debris, such as plastic and foam packaging, which was strewn from the units after they fell from a ship near the Isle of Wight.
Speaking in Parliament during Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, the prime minister praised their quick efforts, describing those involved in the operation as “the very best”.
He also said that the cost of restoring the affected coastline would not lie with taxpayers but with “the polluter” itself.