Race to clear ship-crash plastic found on beaches

Charred plastic pellets moulded together have been found strewn across miles of coastline

Wildlife organisations have said it is a race against time to clear plastic pellets thought to have come from a collision involving two ships from beaches.

The pellets are thought to have entered UK waters when the Stena Immaculate oil tanker collided with the Solong cargo ship off the coast of East Yorkshire on 10 March.

The coastguard said a "retrieval operation" was under way between Old Hunstanton and Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk - as well as other parts of The Wash - where "miles" of the pellets, known as nurdles, have been found.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said it hoped lower tides in the coming days would help aid the recovery.

"We have a period of smaller tides – a small window of six or seven days – to get this operation under way and clear most of this stuff off our beaches," said Hayley Roan, from the RSPB in Norfolk.

"This is an internationally important area for birds and wildlife.

"This risk is birds might ingest some of this stuff, and the harm would be immense."

Ms Roan says some of the clumps of plastic are as big as car roofs

Nurdles are small lentil-sized pieces of plastic that are transported all over the world to create most plastic products.

It is feared millions of them entered the sea - some individually or moulded together - when the ships caught fire.

"Obviously, we don't want plastic pollution on the beach, but the nurdles can be tainted with other chemicals which can be directly toxic," said Nick Acheson, a conservationist and wildlife ambassador for the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.

"This is certainly a very bad time of year because it's when [birds such as] oyster catchers and ringed plovers are nesting on our beaches, and when hundreds of thousands of migrating birds are moving along our coast going back to their arctic breeding grounds.

"Our African migrants will also be arriving any time now."

Conservation groups say while not toxic, nurdles can be devastating for animals if eaten

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said it was notified by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution on Sunday after a "sheen" of nurdles was spotted in the sea off The Wash.

According to the RSPB, The Wash supports more than 400,000 non-breeding waterbirds, the largest harbour seal colony in the UK, and is home to countless rare plants and invertebrates.

Members of the public have been warned not to touch the nurdles, and to instead alert the coastguard by calling 999.

The National Trust, which manages nature reserves on the North Norfolk coast, has advised dog owners to keep their pets on leads.

The coastguard said a nurdle "retrieval operation" was under way.

"Coastguard rescue teams and other specialist counter pollution assets have been sent to assist with this response," a statement added.

"Regular aerial surveillance flights continue to monitor both vessels and the retrieval operation."

The Solong cargo ship smoulders following its collision with the Stena Immaculate oil tanker

The Marine Accident Investigation Branch is trying to establish the cause of the crash between the Solong and Stena Immaculate.

According to the maritime operations company, Crowley, which was managing the tanker, 17,515 barrels of jet fuel were lost "due to the impact and fire" following the collision.

One crew member, a Filipino national, of the Portuguese-flagged Solong is missing and presumed dead.

The Russian captain of the cargo vessel has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter.