Northumberland council leader seeks longer term clarity over plastic pellets
A council leader has called for longer term clarity following a major plastic pellet spill.
Over 17 tonnes of nurdles (plastic pellets) spilled into the River Tyne following a collision at the Port of Tyne last month.
Hundreds of people have been involved in the clean-up operation on beaches in Northumberland and Tyneside.
Cllr Glen Sanderson, leader of Northumberland County Council, said: “Volunteers and council staff have worked tirelessly to keep our coast clear from the pellets, and while our Northumbrian coasts have remained less affected so far, I worry about the lack of clarity coming from the government about the longer-term implications.
“It’s not just this week or next month it could be years before this problem is sorted and we have not been told anything about who will pay for the longer term issues and given around three quarters of the 17 tonnes of pellets that went into the Tyne are still unaccounted for there is a potentially, very serious, and expensive task ahead for Councils along this stretch of coastline or maybe even further away.”
Cllr Sanderson continues to press for information about who will lead this operation and has asked for more facts to be given around the implications for marine and bird life.
Appreciating the work and efforts to date he said: “I am grateful to all the local partnerships who are working on this, it has been and continues to be a huge effort from many.
“But we do need the reassurance that we will continue to receive funding and support for the clean-up however long that might take.
“Just as importantly, we need the guarantee that whenever the time does come to close off operations we are fully involved in contamination level conversations and the future plan to reassure our residents that the environmental impacts on our coasts and for our wildlife have been fully considered.”