Following reports of cargo from the beached MSC Napoli being washed up on the Isle of Wight The Ranger was out today inspecting beaches on the north and south of the Island. He found a lot of stuff - and not all those BMW motorbikes and other valuable items that were reported from the West Country. By the time the cargo had reached the Island it seems as though it had all got well knocked about, covered in polluting oil, and not much good for anything.

Pantene shampoo washed up at Fort Victoria Country Park

Typical items washed up include shampoo, baby milk, chocolates, navel oranges, toys and clothing. All of it is tainted with black, sticky oil - some items are completely covered in a thick, treacly coat of the nasty, poisonous stuff. Some containers are leaking baby milk and or shampoo- there is a smell of shampoo drifting along the whole beach. It looks like there's a lot of work for the Ranger and his colleagues this coming week before the tides change.

An orange contaminated with fuel oil at Fort Victoria Country Park

The Ranger did see several others down on the beaches, apparently undeterred by the warning signs his colleagues have been erecting. This oil is nasty stuff, and you really don't want to get it on you. Some were obviously scavenging, and one doughty old fellow seemed to have retrieved a considerable collection of shampoo bottles.

It's all perfectly legal, so long as you report the salvage. And the more that is taken away, the less The Ranger will have to get cleared up himself. Still, he can't help wondering what this old chap - more or less bald - is going to do with a lifetime supply of oil-contaminated hair formula.