The volunteers. who have made a heroic effort to cleanup the nurdle spill near the mouth of the River Tyne, are afraid that the upcoming spring tide from 14-18 August will cause yet more problems for the beaches and communities affected by the spill last month.
Consequently, they are gearing up for another push to get the beaches cleaned up and the nurdles out of the water as well.
Meanwhile, volunteers got two hours access to the water recently, but campaigners claim that such time is still nowhere near enough, and are pushing for the Port of Tyne to bring in more trained crews, by using its own contacts.
Indeed, community reps met with Defra minister Stephen Morgan in South Shields on 10 August to directly push their case.
Northumberland Wildlife Trust
I spoke with Leo Hargreaves from Northumberland Wildlife Trust about the latest situation is and what needs to be done next.
What is the situation regarding the nurdle spill now?
The community effort has been incredible, with people at the beach twice a day for the last few weeks. However, they are now quite exhausted. 17 tons of nurdles have been spilt and there are still large amounts both in the river and from Newbiggin beach in Northumberland to the north down to Roker beach in the south.
There are videos of seabirds eating the nurdles and there has been no coordinated response from the company which has polluted the river and it is very unfair on communities who are having to clean up beaches they care about.
There has been an inadequate response from authorities and now time is of the essence, with spring tides coming up and we need more people trained to help with the clean-up.
Who has been doing the cleaning up ?
We have now logged 5,300 volunteer hours, which is almost certainly an underestimate, as we didn’t start with the logging system we now have. There is also a company called Briggs who are now paying volunteers, so at least volunteers are finally getting paid for their hard work. Another organisation called Nurdle UK have been using machinery, with some council workers drafted in and some volunteers were allowed out on the river, on a boat, in a two hour window.
Then this morning {13 Aug) North Tyneside council have held a meeting with volunteers to see what the council could do better in the future.
What specifically have you and Northumberland Wildlife Trust been doing?
We have been supporting the community effort; activating our volunteer network and sharing information about how people can get involved. We have also been helping to raise awareness about what has been happening and providing spokespersons for the media and generally supporting the community effort .
What are your fears regarding the spring tides?
The spring tides will mean that lots more hurdles will washing up on the local beaches. Fidra, the environmental charity which supports sustainability and works to prevent pollution have said there will be more nurdles washed up and there are huge concerns about the fate of the local wildlife, while it will be also demotivating for the communities who have so much great work in recent weeks.
We really need to see local councils getting more involved with the clean up before the spring tides really hit, as after they hit the nurdles could be around for a long time and this has been seen in other places.
What lessons can be learnt from this clean-up operation?
There doesn’t seem to be a proper coordinated plan to deal with a pollution event like this. In the future, we need a proper plan for the future both here and around the UK, so that we can respond better in the future.
There needs to be a joined-up response. The local community have been really fast in getting into the clean-up but also need a better plan for such events in the future.
Can you help this weekend?
Volunteers are needed urgently to join the NE Nurdle Clean-Up this weekend just after the High Tides morning and evening. The Spring Tides are expected to bring more nurdles higher up our beaches.
- Fish Quay Beach is the priority, but all beaches in the area welcome nurdle volunteer
- Fri 14 Aug: High Tides 5:06am & 5:40pm
- Sat 15 Aug: High Tides 5:47am & 6:20pm
- Sun 16 Aug: High Tides 6:27am & 6:58pm
What to bring: Sieves, buckets, dustpan + brush – equipment also available at all beaches
For more information please see here .
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