Debris from a wind farm near Barrow has been found washed up on a shore miles up the Cumbrian coast.

John Gorrill, who is a beach clean organiser for Fix the Firth voluntary group, found pieces of green debris on the shore at the northern tip of Maryport golf course.

A clean-up operation was launched at the weekend after debris fell into the sea following maintenance work at Ormonde Offshore Wind Farm near Barrow.

Residents who live near the coast had been warned to watch out for debris and contact arned to look out for the debris along the shore and were urged to contact Vattenfall, the company which owns the wind farm to remove any matter.

The Fix the Firth group had also found smaller pieces of waste on Allonby’s north beach before its discovery at Maryport.

Mr Gorrill said: “I’m not surprised that debris moved from Barrow to the Solway coast.

"In the past four years we’ve found rubbish from North Wales and from Ireland, plus fish crates from trawlers of several countries.”

The incident was reported to have happened after planned maintenance at the wind farm resulted in some materials falling into the sea.

Vattenfall had warned members of the public to not attempt to remove the items themselves.

A spokesman for the company said: “An incident during planned maintenance at Ormonde Offshore Wind Farm resulted in components falling into the sea.

"No-one was injured, but we alerted the relevant authorities immediately and we have launched a full investigation.

“In addition to determining what happened, our attention is focused on ensuring that any debris in the sea or washing up onshore is cleaned up as quickly as possible.

"We are asking anyone who spots any debris which has arrived on land to call our reporting line on 0333 4141 912.

"This will assist our clean-up teams to identify and remove it as quickly as possible.”

The Fix the Firth group has taken the time to tend to the coastline and keep it clear for several years.