Oh, I Do Like to be Beside the Seaside!

The Local Government Association Coastal Special Interest Group (LGA Coastal SIG) estimate that circa 1200-1400 historical waste dumps around the UK's coasts, are currently at risk of erosion and flooding. This risk is increased by climate breakdown, elevating sealevels and increasing precipitation. These events are likely to result in 'cocktails' of pollutants leaching on to beaches before entering the sea (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/12/ticking-timebomb-as-ageing-landfill-dumps-threaten-english-beaches). Some of these landfill sites are 100 years old. Little is known about what precisely has been dumped in them. The materials are likely, however, to include plastics, chemicals as well as other waste. Many such landfill dumps (more than 75%), are adjacent to designated protected areas (e.g. Sites of Special Scientific Interest). An LGA Coastal SIG survey found 26 English council sites that were already spilling their landfill waste on to cliffs and into the sea. They believe funds must be allocated to reduce a widespread pollution risk, exacerbated by climate change.