The leader of Northumberland County Council has called for clarity on the spillage of nurdles at South Shields that has seen tonnes of the plastic pellets wash up on North East beaches. Coun Glen Sanderson said he feared it could be "years" before the problem is solved.
Incident and impact
The Wind Orca ship crashed into a container ship at the Port of Tyne in mid July. The collision damaged both ships and a dockside crane, with one person hospitalised. However, nurdles soon began washing up on the coast both north and south of the mouth of the Tyne. Coun Sanderson is concerned they could spread further and impact popular spots on the Northumberland Coast such as Druridge Bay.
Clean-up efforts and concerns
It comes as North East Mayor Kim McGuinness confirmed insurers were doubling the size of teams working on the clean-up operation. Coun Sanderson said: "We are providing our teams to help pick up the nurdles along with some really fantastic volunteers. While our Northumbrian coasts have remained less affected so far, I worry about the lack of clarity coming from the Government about the longer-term implications.
"It’s not just this week or next month it could be years before this problem is sorted and we have not been told anything about who will pay for the longer term issues and given around three quarters of the 17 tonnes of pellets that went into the Tyne are still unaccounted for there is a potentially, very serious, and expensive task ahead for Councils along this stretch of coastline or maybe even farther away. We need to know the answers to three questions.
"How much of the tonnes of pellets have been picked up? Are we anywhere near halfway, or not even close? Do we need to be prepared for more nurdles turning up at places like Druridge Bay and beaches further north if the weather and the tides change? And the most important question for me is when will the hunt be called off? Will it be when there's no nurdles? Who will decide?"
The council say the leader "continues to press for information". There are particular concerns about the implications for marine and bird life. Coun Sanderson added: “I am grateful to all the local partnerships who are working on this, it has been and continues to be a huge effort from many. But we do need the reassurance that we will continue to receive funding and support for the clean-up however long that might take.
"Just as importantly, we need the guarantee that whenever the time does come to close off operations we are fully involved in contamination level conversations and the future plan to reassure our residents that the environmental impacts on our coasts and for our wildlife have been fully considered."
Mayor's response and ongoing efforts
The clean-up is being led by the Port of Tyne and local authorities, with support from the Environment Agency and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. North East Mayor Kim McGuinness said: "Our battle to clean polluting nurdles from the North East’s beaches and the Tyne continues. The volunteer community is amazing and I am fighting for them to get more support.
"I’ve said throughout the polluters must pay and today the shipping company insurers have said they are going to double the size of their teams working to clean up beaches from Northumberland to Sunderland. That can’t come soon enough. This weekend we’re going to see high ‘spring’ tides on our beaches. Volunteer groups are appealing to people to come out on Saturday after the highest tide when nurdles are likely to be washed up in larger numbers so we can all help clean them away quickly.
"This week I also met Environment Minister Stephen Morgan with volunteers at Littlehaven in South Shields to demand more action from Government. The Environment Agency has sent vessels to survey both the river and sea and is joining our scientific advisory group. This will make sure we understand the impact on sea birds, fish and mammals I know so many people are worried about.
"The Port of Tyne opened the river to volunteer boats alongside their own this week - they cleaned 37kg of nurdles and other waste from the river in just two hours. I’ve asked the Port to find more times volunteer boats can work without risk from commercial ships so we can build on this terrific effort. I’ve asked our local councils to do all they can to make sure special bins are set out and clearly signposted on the beaches as part of this. Council patrols show there are fewer nurdles washing up on beaches daily, but there are millions left in the Tyne and out at sea so we cannot afford to stop."
Responding to Coun Sanderson's comments, a spokesman for the EA said: "We understand the strength of feeling about this incident and the desire for clear information. The Environment Agency has played an active role in the response from the outset, providing environmental monitoring, technical expertise and on-the-ground support to the organisations leading the recovery effort. We continue to engage with partners, local communities and volunteers throughout, and our focus remains on supporting the clean-up, understanding environmental impacts and helping affected areas recover."
