Inmates gather tires beached by Hurricane Earl

CARTERET COUNTY - A crew of 40 inmates from Carteret Correctional Center worked Friday to clean up hundreds of tires that Hurricane Earl washed onto the Bogue Banks beaches.   The inmates collected tires from beaches in Emerald Isle, Pine Knoll Shores, Indian Beach and Salter Path in order to clear the sand before beachgoers arrive for the long Labor Day weekend.

Thousands of car and truck tires were sunk offshore in the 1970s to create artificial reefs as a habitat for marine life.  The tires are occasionally stirred up by storms and tossed ashore.

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