BOURNEMOUTH council has come under fire after it emerged that its controversial Roar on the Shore world record attempt has led to thousands of plastic pellets being washed up on our beaches.

The bid to blast Bournemouth into the record books by setting off more than 100,000 fireworks in one minute was heavily criticised after it proved a less than spectacular spectacle.

Now the environmental effects of the event are also being questioned as hundreds of the rockets, comprising plastic casings and wooden sticks, continue to wash ashore.

Bournemouth council said on Monday, September 7, they were told the pellets were going to be biodegradable cardboard but they turned out to be plastic and the contractor would foot the clean-up bill.

John Cresswell, a Hengistbury Head volunteer conservationist, picked up 600 of the fireworks in just one hour following a particularly windy spell last week.

Others will have floated out to sea where they could pose a risk to marine life.

Mr Cresswell said he had found enough fireworks to fill several bags. “Once you know what you are looking for, you spot hundreds of them,” he said. “There are loads of them in the Double Dykes area of Hengistbury Head, particularly around lumps of old seaweed.

“Whatever the merits of this event, there is enough litter as it is on our beaches without it being added to. They are also going out to sea where they could cause greater damage.”

Emma Snowden, litter projects co-ordinator for the Marine Conservation Society, said: “Plastic is one of our biggest problems. Beachwatch surveys over the last 16 years have found that plastic equates to over 50 per cent of all litter found on UK beaches.”

She added that plastic doesn’t ever fully degrade and research has shown that small marine animals ingest tiny pieces of plastic and these toxins are passed up the food chain.

Jon Weaver, marketing and events manager for Bournemouth Borough Council, said of the fireworks: “We expected them to be cardboard and bio degradable so we were surprised to discover they were plastic, as was the contractor who ordered them.”

He said the council has sent out teams to clean up the pellets and it would be passing on the clear-up bill to Fantastic Fireworks who organised the display.

Fantastic Fireworks were unavailable for comment.