Beach cleanups ongoing one month after ship collision off East Yorkshire coast

Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust say they're vacuum cleaning beaches one month after a cargo ship crashed into an American tanker off the East Yorkshire Coast.

On the 10th of March, the Solong collided with the Stenna Immaculate causing them to burst into flames - one person died at sea, and a man has been charged with gross negligence manslaughter.

Tammy Smalley is from Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, she said:

"We are using the vacuum cleaners just after the tides dropped to suck up all of the individual nurdles and it sifts through so other material is left on the beach that could be useful. And I don't mean litter, I mean natural materials.

"This coming Friday, we're actually going to a place called Chapel Six Marshes, and we'll be doing a beach clean. So if anybody wants to come along, they can join us there at 10:00 AM.

"The real threat is partly the unburnt individual nurdles because they look like fish eggs. So any wildlife would basically go to eat them. They would think it's food."

Chief Coastguard Paddy O’Callaghan said:

“The SOLONG is now safely berthed at the Port of Aberdeen where further salvage operations will be undertaken.

“Salvage of the STENA IMMACULATE continues to be progressed.

“HM Coastguard continues to support local authorities in their response to onshore pollution, including plastic nurdles, in both Norfolk and Lincolnshire. HM Coastguard will continue to keep the overall situation under close review.”