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Norfolk beach walker finds crisp packet from 1960s

Chris Turner Old crisp packet, faded with age, with 5D, ready salted and Golden Wonder brand visibleChris Turner
The Golden Wonder crisp packet is almost certainly from the late 1960s

Crisp packets and sweet wrappers dating back as far as the 1960s have been found on a Norfolk beach.

Chris Turner, from Clifton, Bedfordshire, came across the decades-old litter while staying at his holiday home at Scratby, near Great Yarmouth.

They include pre-decimalisation packets of Golden Wonder crisps, marked with a price of 5d, and 2d Spangles sweets.

"I think the recent high tides at Hemsby have shifted everything to the surface," said Mr Turner.

"It's only about a mile away, so the plastic could have come from there.

"I couldn't believe how old they were; 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."

Plastic kills fish and other sea creatures and takes hundreds of years to break down into less harmful materials.

It is estimated there are 171 trillion pieces of plastic in the world's oceans.

Chris Turner A blue empty packet of ready salted crispi, crisps with gift stars; a yellow empty packet of cheese and onion crispi, crisps with gift stars; an empty orange packet of fruit flavour spanglesChris Turner
Mr Turner could not find any information on Crispi while confectionery giant Mars has been asked by the BBC to try to date this packet of Spangles

All the packets were found in Norfolk were in remarkable condition, with labelling and wording clearly visible, and were on top of the sand.

Mr Turner, who shared images of his finds on a local Facebook page, said it provided some nostalgia for snacks of yesteryear while providing evidence of just how long it takes for plastic to decompose.

"When I saw them I thought 'I'm picking that up' - just out of curiosity, really," added Mr Turner, who discovered them during three separate walks with his dog.

Chris Turner Scratby beachChris Turner
Mr Turner regular spends his weekends at Scratby in Norfolk

No use-by dates were visible, so Mr Turner searched online for some clues as to their age.

Tayto Group, which now owns Golden Wonder, confirmed the packet was almost certainly from the late 1960s and said it had made changes in recent years to reduce plastic packaging.

The Smiths Horror Bags bacon flavour corn and potato claws were available for about five years in the 1970s and were reportedly criticised at the time for being potentially disturbing for children.

Mystery surrounds the provenance of the two empty packets of Crispi and the fruit flavour Spangles could potentially date from the 1960s or early 70s.

Chris Turner Packet of Smiths Horror Bags Claws, bacon flavour, with a cartoon image of a Dracula type figureChris Turner
The empty Horror Bags packet could be finding its way on to an auction site

The chance finds could pay dividends for Mr 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 over £100 on eBay because they're collectable.

"So I know what I'll be doing with that very soon."

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