Environmental group finds virus-era litter in Mediterranean

Soggy, algae-caked surgical masks and soiled, waterlogged rubber gloves waving eerily beneath the waves are some of the virus-era detritus a French environmental group says is littering the Mediterranean sea near the French Riviera resort of Antibes.

Video shot by the group Operation Mer Propre (Operation Clean Sea) last week shows scattered masks and gloves on the seabed, among beer cans, cigarette butts and other rubbish.

The group shared the images online as France and other countries gradually reopen their beaches, to warn that it could worsen pollution problems in the Mediterranean Sea.

A local legislator has proposed stiffening fines for littering.

"We were rather unpleasantly surprised when we started to see gloves that were buried in the sand," Joffrey Peltier, founder of Operation Clean Sea, told The Associated Press.

When they found the first mask, he said, "it was like a jellyfish, we didn't know exactly what it was at first."

The volume of pandemic-related rubbish has so far been limited, he said, but may get mush worse if not addressed right away.

"We know that as soon it starts to rain, all the rubbish coming from the gutters will end up in the sea", Peltier said.

Street cleaners in Paris have also complained about a rise in masks littering the pavements as France started relaxing confinement measures and more and more public places require people to wear masks.

(Representative Image)