Volunteers collecting plastic pellets from beaches after a collision on the River Tyne are calling on central government to treat the incident as a national emergency and provide more support.
Spill details
The pellets, known as nurdles, entered the river when the Wind Ocra ship collided with the berthed container ship BG Orange at the Port of Tyne in South Shields last month. The collision caused a dockside crane to collapse, and the operator was taken to hospital with serious injuries but is now recovering at home.
Containers were ripped open, and nurdles spilled into the water within seconds of the crash. Port CEO Matt Beeton said staff did not become aware of the contents of the damaged containers until the following day.
Volunteer efforts
Since the collision on Sunday, July 19, nurdles have washed up on beaches across the North East. While not toxic, the pellets can harm wildlife if ingested. Volunteers have been dedicating their time to collect them, but they are seeking more help from Prime Minister Andy Burnham and central government.
Olly Armstrong, a 46-year-old from North Shields leading the volunteer response, wants more power given to North East Mayor Kim McGuinness. He said: "I think there should be a decision from national Government that this is an emergency. Kim McGuinness has been really helpful but Kim has said she doesn't have the official power to do much about this."
Armstrong added: "Now is the time for Andy Burnham's government to give Kim everything she need to respond. Right now, in an emergency situation, we need to look at what we can deal with the next day and the next week. This should be dealt with as a national emergency and there should be boats up this river, which are given the tools they need to remove the nurdles from the water before they hit the beach. We refuse to accept this is not an emergency situation."
Other voices
Patrick Bibby, a 59-year-old healthcare assistant from Howdon, has been collecting nurdles in his spare time. He expressed disgust at the handling of the situation and called for more government involvement: "In my opinion it's a national disaster. It's not very good. I think they should be doing a lot better. Both the Port of Tyne and the Government. I think the Government needs to be involved. They have got the resources."
North Shields Councillor Josephine Mudzingwa also wants more help from central government. She said: "People are doing a great job but we need Andy Burnham to get involved. We need more money and more people to help out. I think Kim McGuinness has stepped up but could have actually contacted Westminster as well. That would have been much help."
Mudzingwa called for more staff and boats to collect the nurdles from the water: "We need more help, more money, more boats. Westminster is going to look at the north. The north needs help, especially inside the water."
Government response
The government said the Environment Secretary has spoken with the Mayor to discuss the response and next steps. A spokesperson said: "The North East's spectacular coastline is one of the nation's greatest assets. People are right to be angry and to demand answers. The Environment Agency has been on this from the start, supporting partners, and is now stepping up its work on the ground. The Environment Secretary has spoken with the Mayor to discuss the response and next steps. What matters now is a proper assessment of the damage and full clean-up."
A spokesperson for the Mayor and Mayoral Strategic Authority said: "Mayor Kim has been clear from the start that the polluter should pay for the damage they have done, as a result of which insurers for the two big shipping companies responsible for the nurdle spill have sent a team of 16 people with specialist equipment to clean our beaches. Mayor Kim has also asked the Government's Environment Agency to play a greater role in supporting councils, the Port of Tyne and volunteers, and spoke to the Secretary of State about that this week. The Environment Agency is now providing additional staff to support local agencies but the Mayor will continue to press for further Government support as well as demanding the shipping industry steps up its response to the pollution it has caused."
