I was aged 9 when it happened. My Dad and I used to fish off the beach at Pagham, near Bognor Regis. We couldn't fail. Plaice, sole, etc in abundance. The local professional boat fishermen used to sell crab and whelks as they landed. We used to go cockling at Dell Quay near Chichester Marina and cook bucketfuls of them at home.
Within a month everything changed. Big black globules of oil washed up on the beach. No fish or shellfish. The approach to Dell Quay was closed for years due to pollution. To this day cockling is prohibited due to contamination. The sand along the coast has a top layer of brown with a black seam about a foot underneath.
Total destruction.
NEO