[alnitak]

Free stuff. Can't beat it.

[Chili Girl]

Cool!

[TexasCajun]

Yikes!

My new big flat-screen TV was in one of those containers!

[camle]

how would one register a motorcycle found on the beach?

[miliantnutcase]

The insurance company is going to be PISSED!

[Disambiguator]

The motorcycle in the pic is an R1200, not a K1200.

[steveo]

Let them touch those things for once.

[Petronski]

There were also . . . nappies, dog food and expensive hand cream.

That's some funky kind of party.

[alnitak]

The Times has some more pics.

Beachcombers collect car parts from Branscombe beach, as stricken ship Napoli is surrounded by salvage boats. Dozens of people swarmed over the beach exploring the contents of the containers (Barry Batchelor/PA)

Containers carrying dangerous materials such as battery acid and perfume have come off the stricken cargo ship (Barry Batchelor/PA)

Various items of cosmetics litter the beach (Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images)>

People carry away bags of nappies (aka diapers) from the beach in front of the wrecked ship (Stephen Hird/Reuters)

You're carrying your bag of nappies off the beach and you think you're having a good day....until you are overtaken by the guy on the BMW!

[Red Badger]

Has Ireland gone into mourning yet?.........

[SengirV]

Reminds me of one of the principles to live ones life - If it's free, I'll take two.

[PanzerKardinal]

Ok folks let's not get too excited.

All these items are flotsam and under British law belong to the owners. These people are no better than theives and looters.

[Fudd]

I remember finding a book at the library about "salvage" operations along the British coasts during the centuries. For some communities, a shipwreck was manna from heaven, and there were rules - never written down, but always enforced - about who could take what, and when it could be taken (for example, the ship had to be abandoned - no crew on board).

Of course, there were always stories - always denied - of crews being murdered to allow locals to "salvage" the wrecks.

[Nathan Zachary]

I wonder if there is any good wine in that batch. A few barrels of that might be worth a few $$$ in a few years. Then you could buy a good bike with wiring that won't corrode .

[Grizzled Bear]

The new "Cargo-Tribe?"

I wonder if the New Orleans looters are going to sue.

[ozzymandus]

Wasn't this a pretty common occupation in Britain at one time?

[Zeroisanumber]

Do the containers count as flotsam or salvage? My instinct would be to say flotsam, which makes the beachside looting theft, but I'm not sure what UK maratime law says on the matter.

[RobRoy]

"There were also Citroen car parts..."

Now THAT'S a find!!!

[Winniesboy]

I live just 20 miles from this. What isn't mentioned here is that Branscombe is on the "Jurassic Coast", a World Heritage Site celebrated for its role in the early understanding of geology and palaeontology in the 19th century (Lyme Regis - remember "French Lieutenant's Woman"? - is only five miles away to the east). There's also a maritime nature reserve with rare sea corals close by. This is shaping to be a major pollution disaster, and clearing up the mess before the summer tourist season is going to be a headache.