Major Plastic Pellet Spill in North East England
On 19th July 2026, two shipping containers of plastic pellets were ruptured during a vessel collision in the Port of Tyne, South Shields. Within seconds, approximately 17 tonnes of pellets were released into the water.
Plastic pellets, also known as nurdles, are used globally to produce plastic products. They are small, lightweight, and don’t break down naturally – making them both difficult to recover and harmful to wildlife.
What is the impact?
The risk to public health from the spill is considered very low should the pellets be collected quickly. However, nurdles have spread along the North East coast, washing up on several beaches from Amble in Northumberland (25 miles from the port) and as far south as Scarborough in North Yorkshire (64 miles from the port). These tiny pellets pose risks to wildlife and other animals, such as dogs, if ingested. Of particular concern is the large seabird colony at Marsden Bay.
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What is being done?
In an open letter to Defra, leaders of several environmental charities and organisations called for the spill to be declared a major pollution incident. Although an estimated 5.14 tonnes of nurdles have been recovered from the coastline thanks to the efforts of local authorities, volunteers, and community groups, the clean-up remains ongoing.
Modelling by Newcastle University indicates that around 16% (or 2.2 tonnes) of pellets remained in the estuary six weeks after the spill, with rising autumn water levels increasing the risk of more of them washing downstream and out to sea. Scientists are also investigating the spill’s impact on seabirds, with nurdles identified in stomach content samples from birds collected in the area.
These studies highlight that the South Shields spill remains a significant pollution event requiring continued monitoring and recovery. Once released into waterways and the marine environment, plastic pellets can travel long distances and be difficult to recover. In light of this incident, Surfers Against Sewage has emphasised the need for long-term national reforms, stronger prevention, and improved response mechanisms to protect the UK’s natural assets from plastic pollution.
If you spot nurdles in your local area, report them to your local council or here: https://www.nurdlehunt.org.uk/take-part/submit-your-finds.html
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For more information contact: info@scarabtrust.org.uk
Images:
Bird, Northern gannet - Image by Georg Wietschorke from Pixabay (ST ref: 1402)
plastic pellets spill - Image by Paul Nettles (ST ref: 1437)
ID 250460-B
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