Coast threat 'shipwreck' protest

Surfers gave a mini version of the Mulheim to the transport ministry

A 'shipwreck' has been staged outside a government office by a pressure group from Cornwall warning of coastal pollution risks.

Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) re-enacted the grounding of the RMS Mulheim at Lands End last year on the front steps of the Department for Transport.

Oil-stained surfers gave a crumpled, scaled-down version of the vessel to Shipping Minister David Jamieson.

The campaigners claim the South West coast remains at risk.

Members of Surfers Against Sewage said there still had not been a prosecution of the Mulheim's owners, despite it being one year ago this week since the incident.

The vessel has been left to break up on the Cornish coast

A report published last summer by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch highlighted a number of failings that contributed to the ship's demise, said the group's members.

Despite a coastal clean-up by the local authority, surfers continued to report plastic and foam from the Mulheim appearing on the region's beaches.

"The waste from the Mulheim will be with us for years as it does not break down easily in the marine environment," said SAS.

Its campaigns director Richard Hardy said: "The emphasis is now on legislators to stop these disasters happening in the first place, as they are notoriously difficult to manage and control.

"SAS is calling on the minister to help the region be given a Particular Sensitive Sea Area Status in order to protect its uniqueness from the risks of large vessels carrying potentially hazardous cargoes."

The campaigners were met outside the Department for Transport by Liberal Democrat Shadow Environment spokesman Norman Baker.

The wreck of the Mulheim is still being broken up by the sea.