Minister thanks volunteers for their clean-up efforts on visit to Port of Tyne following plastic pellet spillage
Marine minister Stephen Morgan has visited the Port of Tyne to meet those involved in the clean-up operation following the pollution incident involving plastic pellets known as nurdles.
He heard directly from the team at the Port of Tyne and discussed actions being taken to protect the environment and restore impacted coastal areas.
The minister was joined by Environment Agency chair Alan Lovell and local authority representatives at Littlehaven Beach in South Shields.
He also met with community groups and volunteers involved in the recovery efforts and thanked them for their continued work to clear impacted beaches.
Recovery efforts following the release of approximately 17 tonnes of small plastic pellets after a collision between two vessels at the Port of Tyne on 19 July continue to be led by the Port of Tyne and local authorities, with Defra and the Environment Agency working closely with partners to support recovery.
Mr Morgan said: People in the North East rightly expect a strong, coordinated response to this incident. That’s why the government and the Environment Agency have been working closely with local partners since this serious pollution happened.
“I want to thank volunteers on the ground, who are spending time every day clearing the beaches and recognise the work of local leaders to bring together organisations and take necessary action.
“Meeting the people at the forefront of the recovery effort is vital so we can better understand the challenges they face and help to ensure the clean-up happens as quickly and effectively as possible.
“The government and the Environment Agency are assisting local partners such as the Port of Tyne in any way we can, including a deploying additional boats, monitoring, providing resources from elsewhere in the country and holding the plastics industry to account.”
The visit follows a call led by Minister Morgan and Ports Minister Keir Mather on 7 August with key partners, elected mayors and lead responding organisations to discuss recovery progress and identify where additional government support could assist local efforts.
The Minister also saw how the Environment Agency is mobilising additional drone surveys, vessels and specialist response teams to strengthen monitoring and support targeted recovery operations. He was also informed that Community Officers are standing by for immediate deployment to support affected communities with advice and information.
Defra is also working closely with marine science experts at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) to strengthen environmental monitoring and analysis, helping build a clearer picture of any impacts from the incident and informing longer-term recovery efforts.
The government is also working to strengthen protections around the transportation of plastic pellets such as nurdles and reduce the risk of similar incidents occurring in future.