Beaches Bounce Back: 11 Tonnes of Plastic Nurdles Nabbed after North Sea Nautical Nightmare

In a remarkable demonstration of efficiency and resilience, a whopping 11 tonnes of plastic pellets, or ‘nurdles’ as they are commonly known, have been successfully cleared from the sandy stretches of Lincolnshire, following a maritime mishap in the North Sea. These minuscule menaces made an unwelcome appearance after the Solong cargo ship came a cropper with the Stena Immaculate oil tanker off East Yorkshire’s coast on 10th March. The collision ignited fires and spurred a heart-stopping rescue operation, saving 36 crew members from both vessels. While not poisonous, these tiny balls of plastic resin, integral to plastics production, pose a potential peril to wildlife if swallowed, warns HM Coastguard. Lincolnshire County Council have had their work cut out, prioritising the worst affected areas in their clean-up crusade. The unwelcome guests were first spotted littering Lincolnshire’s shores on 17th March, necessitating a dedicated clean-up crew from East Lindsey District Council. Thus far, the diligent squad has retrieved around 24,250lbs of waste, with the operation ongoing as more pollutants persist in washing ashore, according to a council representative. The captured nurdles have been relocated to the county council’s waste transfer station in Louth.