Nurdles have washed up on beaches over 30 miles south of the ship collision site where millions of the tiny plastic pellets spilled into the River Tyne. Volunteers have dedicated thousands of hours to supporting clean-up efforts along the North East coast following a collision between the Wind Orca and the BG Orange on July 19.
Nurdles found between Marske and Redcar
Port of Tyne's CEO Matt Beeton said nurdles spilled into the river within five seconds of the crash, which saw the collapse of a dockside crane and its operator taken to hospital with serious injuries. Now Redcar and Cleveland Council have confirmed that evidence of nurdles has been found along the coast between Marske and Redcar.
Council officers are now liaising with partner organisations and volunteer groups on the removal of the pellets and to help minimise any potential environmental impact. This includes exploring the use of mechanical equipment.
Council confirms nurdles in small pockets
A spokesperson for Redcar and Cleveland Council said: "Council officers have inspected beaches from Marske (Cliff Terrace) to Redcar and we are now able to confirm that evidence of nurdles has been found. At present, they appear to be concentrated in relatively small pockets."
Officers have been engaging with partner organisations and volunteer groups to assist with the removal of the material and to help minimise any potential environmental impact. Teams are also looking to organise targeted beach clearance days, where volunteers can support the clean-up effort.
"In addition, we are exploring the use of appropriate mechanical equipment to help expedite the removal process, where this can be undertaken safely and without causing damage to the coastline or sensitive habitats. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide further updates as they become available."
Mayor demands explanation over worker stand-down
It comes just days after reports that Solis Marine, the company appointed by shipping insurers to organise the official clean-up, had stood down a number of casual workers, causing fury among local residents. North East mayor Kim McGuinness has written to Solis Marine to demand an explanation for the decision.
In her letter, the mayor warned that it was "far too soon" to scale back the recovery operation and demanded to know how many staff remained on the clean-up job. Dozens of casual workers are thought to have been brought in to support specialist contractor Briggs Marine. Briggs are understood to still have a team of clean-up workers operating in the North East.
