Thousands of prisoners in the Philippines have been forced to pay part of their debt to society in a novel fashion, shaving the heads and chests as part of a national clean-up operation following a major oil spill.

The move is part of a nationwide plan to collect tonnes of feathers and hair to mop up the country’s worst ever oil spill, which took place when a tanker sank off the coast of the island of Guimaras in August (see related story).

The low-tech solution is being used as a last resort after effort to plug leaks in the sunken tanker failed.

Sam Bond

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