Both Lipite beaches near Sinemorets are now clear of the dozens of sacks of red pepper that the sea washed ashore days ago, Tsarevo municipality said.
Tsarevo municipality, Tsarevo port, the mayors' offices in Ahtopol and Sinemorets, the state forestry enterprise and the border police cleared the sacks.
How it all started: Dozens of sacks of red pepper dumped on „Listi“ beach near Sinemorets
"The hard terrain, the lack of access for special equipment and the need to work at sea made the clean-up a serious challenge," the municipality said. It says it has never had a case like this before.
Workers took the sacks off the small Lipite beach by sea, on pontoons towed by a motorboat. Some of them stood in the water and guided the pontoons through the shallows so the cargo would arrive safely. The regional fire service provided their wetsuits.
Volunteers and residents gave the pontoons and the special sacks, in which the pepper was collected and carried away, free of charge. The municipality thanked them.
Tsarevo again calls on state institutions and society to draw up clear rules on how to act in such situations and who is responsible for what. "The case showed that when such a situation arises, local institutions should not be left to rely only on their own initiative and resources," the municipality wrote.
Experts from the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water in Burgas have taken samples of the sea water.
Institutions have drawn attention to the sacks and to containers found along the southern Black Sea coast, which are linked to a container ship attacked by drones off Shabla.