Specialist equipment drafted in to remove plastic pellets from Littlehaven Beach
An expert charity is helping remove plastic pellets from the South Shields seafront.
South Tyneside Council has teamed up with an expert charity as work to remove plastic pellets from the borough’s beaches remains ongoing.
The local authority has partnered with Nurdle to clean up the pellets, which are known as ‘nurdles’, following a spillage in the River Tyne.
According to the Environment Agency, it is believed that more than 25 tonnes of nurdles have spilt into the water - which is around one billion individual plastic pellets.
On Thursday, July 23, specialist equipment was deployed by Nurdle at Littlehaven Beach to help make the clean up “faster and more efficient”.
Experts help with the clean up operation
South Tyneside Council has once again asked members of the public not to undertake clean up activities alone and that it will share information about how people can get involved soon.
A spokesperson for South Tyneside Council said: “We’ve continued with our beach clean-up and we are now working with Nurdle
“Nurdle is an expert charity helping with the clean-up in areas affected by plastic pellets. These pellets, known as ‘nurdles’ are washing up on sections of our beaches following a vessel collision in the River Tyne.
“Nurdle has specialist equipment which makes the clean-up faster and more efficient.
“It’s important that during the clean-up we monitor the weight of the nurdles collected. This is so we can tell how much has been recovered from the spillage and how much work is left to do.
“We’re very grateful for everyone who has offered to support the clean-up.
“The clean-up could take a long time due to tides changing. We will soon share information on how people can get involved with the clean-up.
“For now, we’re asking people not to undertake clean-up activities alone and in the meantime we’re continuing with the clean-up with charity specialist Nurdle.”
Spillage following a ship collision
The plastic pellets spilled into the River Tyne following a ship collision at the Port of Tyne on Sunday, July 19.
The collision almost saw the collapse of a gantry crane on the Port’s quayside, which resulted in a man sustaining injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
With the clean up operation continuing, the Port of Tyne has stated that it is working to prevent further spills.