A holidaymaker has discovered crisp packets and sweet wrappers dating back to the 1960’s washed up on a beach in Norfolk.
Chris Turner was staying at his holiday cottage in Scratby near Great Yarmouth when he discovered five crisp packets and sweet wrappers on the beach.
According to The Times:
Nostalgia soon gave way to concern for how plastic pollution is damaging Britain’s seas. “I couldn’t believe how old they were,” he said. “I’m not a big eco-warrior but I think the plastic in the seas is dreadful and the amount of litter generally along the beach is awful. I was always told not to drop litter.” He found some packets marked with pre-decimalisation prices: Golden Wonder for 5d and Spangles at 2d.
“I think the recent high tides at Hemsby have shifted everything to the surface,” Turner told the BBC.
“It’s only about a mile away, so the plastic could have come from there.
“When I saw them I thought, ‘I’m picking that up’ — just out of curiosity really.”
Tayto Group, which now owns Golden Wonder, confirmed that one packet found by Turner was almost certainly from the late 1960s. It said it had made changes in recent years to reduce plastic packaging.
The Smiths bacon-flavoured corn and potato claws were available for about five years in the 1970s. The provenance of the Crispi bags and the Spangles is unclear — although the Crispi prices are at least shown in pence.
The chance finds could pay dividends for Turner, who will continue to keep an eye out for vintage litter on the beach. “The last one I found — Horror Bags — I contacted a group online and was told ‘actually, it’s really valuable’,” he said.
“I’ve had a look and some have gone for more than £100 on eBay because they’re collectable. So I know what I’ll be doing with that very soon.”
