“Here lies Dobby, a free elf”… and a lot of socks. The inscription is etched on the beach at Freshwater West in Wales, where tourists go to see the grave of the elf buried there, based on a scene from the Harry Potter saga filmed in 2009. But fans don’t just pay their respects at the memorial built in his honour, they also make offerings that pollute the protected coastal area.
Socks are the most common objects on the beach. They come in all sizes and colors, as evidenced by photos published on X. These gifts were not chosen at random. In the JK Rowling saga, a house elf only becomes free if his master gives him an item of clothing, something that the Machiavellian Lucius Malfoy did in spite of himself in the second part by giving him a sock.
Quite a symbol, then, but a symbol that pollutes. The National Trust, a British association for the conservation of monuments and sites of collective interest, has asked visitors to respect the landscape and stop depositing objects on the beach, reports Sky News. In addition to socks, the colored pebbles also pollute the environment.
“Plastic pollution in the marine environment”
“We love welcoming people to Freshwater West to enjoy this special place,” said a spokesperson for the National Trust in Wales, but if they could leave “no trace of their visit” that would be even better.
Leaving objects on the beach poses a danger to “marine wildlife, including grey seals, harbour porpoises and seabirds”, generating “plastic pollution in the marine environment and the food chain”, he adds.
Another idea from Sea Trust Wales cited by franceinfo: bring objects “made from biodegradable materials such as wood or paper”. “This would avoid contaminating the plankton with microplastics”, underlines Lloyd Nelmes, a manager of the local association.