People in the North East are right to expect a strong, co-ordinated response to the nurdle spill in the River Tyne, the UK's Marine Minister has said, 19 days after the incident.
Stephen Morgan held a meeting on Friday with organisations at the forefront of the recovery effort, where challenges facing the clean-up were discussed. He will visit the North East this week to meet affected communities.
Environment Agency under fire
The visit comes as the Environment Agency faces criticism from local leaders and community members over its role in the clean-up. The Agency initially issued guidance, communicated through councils, that nurdles should not be touched when they washed up on beaches.
In recent weeks, a huge volunteer effort has seen more than 1,000 people aim to clean the region's beaches, while the Port of Tyne estimates around nine tonnes of nurdles have been removed from the River Tyne. The EA says it has been actively involved from the outset and is chairing the Environmental Response Group.
Minister's statement
Morgan said: "As an MP for a coastal community I know the importance of our coastlines. People in the North East rightly expect a strong, coordinated response to this incident.
"Today I chaired a meeting to bring together the organisations at the forefront of the recovery effort so we can better understand the challenges they face and help to ensure clean-up happens as quickly and effectively as possible. We will continue working closely with local partners as clean-up operations progress, supporting efforts to protect the environment and restore affected coastal areas."
