Polhawn Cove in approx 6m of water is the area most affected by the pollution. In 6m of water the marine ecosystem should be thriving; instead the seabed is silted over and covered with everything that might be on the Tamar riverbed - spent ammunition, shells, chemicals, paint tins and brushes, and toxic PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls). Within six metres of water there are electrical cables, rubber gaskets and even alloy off cuts jammed under reefs. It has become a de-oxygenated and heavily polluted area.

"There was no proper marine survey prior to the Dumping. Material was dumped in horrendous conditions in the first four months. That was like chucking all this debris into a great washing machine. The tidal effects of the bay appear to have been ignored , if you get the Channel flood tide coming in you get a back-eddy and a swirl. When the tide starts ebbing you get a similar effect. As a result of these back eddy’s a lot of the debris ends up between Queener Point and Polhawn Cove. Some of it even ends up in the shallows on the shore"

"There is a strong probability that due to the tidal flow the pollution in Whitsand Bay will reach the prestigious artificial reef of the Scylla. You can't have this dumping and have the Scylla as well - it's as simple as that , the dive area around HMS Scylla will soon be contaminated and spoil the whole experience for divers".