Washed up LEGO element travelled 320 miles

A LEGO element that fell into the sea off the coast of Cornwall has washed up on a beach in Cumbria.

UK fans are familiar with the occasion in 1997, when containers were knocked from a cargo ship, leading to around 5 million LEGO bricks falling into the sea. Ever since, residents in Cornwall have been able to walk certain beaches and find washed up LEGO elements. The pieces are still found today, 21 years later.

The BBC report that a LEGO seaweed element has washed up on a beach in Cumbria, around 320 miles from the Cornish coast where the bricks fell into the ocean. As spokeswoman for the Colourful Coast Partnership spoke to the BBC:

“It’s possible that our tiny piece of Lego sea grass has been bobbing about in the ocean, not breaking down, being nibbled by fish and other marine creatures for over 20 years before drifting ashore on our coast to, finally, be found in a beach clean and stop being part of the marine pollution problem.

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“Plastic in the sea doesn’t just decompose, or go away.”

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Plastic pollution in the ocean has recently returned to the headlines, with the UK government outlining plans to reduce the amount of plastic used.

Author Profile

Graham
Graham was the BrickFanatics.com Editor up until November 2020. He has plenty of experience working on LEGO related projects. He has contributed to various websites and publications on topics including niche hobbies, the toy industry and education.

Follw Graham on Twitter @grahamh100.

Graham

Graham was the BrickFanatics.com Editor up until November 2020. He has plenty of experience working on LEGO related projects. He has contributed to various websites and publications on topics including niche hobbies, the toy industry and education. Follw Graham on Twitter @grahamh100.

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