Fear seabirds might choke on tiny plastic pellets 'likely' to have come from North Sea crash

Wildlife charities have sounded the alarm about tiny plastic pellets washing up on English beaches.

Nurdles are tiny pellets - around 1-5mm long - used to make plastic products.

They are not toxic, but animals that eat them can choke or starve to death as they mistakenly believe their stomachs to be full of food.

HM Coastguard has confirmed they have appeared along The Wash, a bay that runs along the Lincolnshire and Norfolk coast, and that they "likely" entered the water during last week's North Sea crash.

Chief Coastguard Paddy O'Callaghan said: "Yesterday (16 March) the RNLI advised the MCA of a sighting in waters just off The Wash of a sheen that we now know to be plastic nurdles.

"This was confirmed by aerial surveillance flights and other assets have subsequently been deployed.

"Some nurdles have now also been identified on the shore.

"Retrieval has started today. This is a developing situation and the Transport Secretary continues to be updated regularly."

The pellets appear to have been burned or combined with burnt material, the Wildlife Trusts' conservation group said.

They said four patches of nurdles have been identified, which although are "relatively small", are still a cause of "concern for nature".

It said in a press release: "The relevant authorities have now deployed vessels to try to net pollutants from the sea, and co-ordinated actions are underway to collect any that come ashore, such as those found at Holme Dune National Nature Reserve."

Tammy Smalley, head of conservation at Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, says: "We're very concerned about the nurdles and burnt material that is adrift at sea as well as being washed up along The Wash and the Norfolk coast following the tanker collision last week.

She added: "At this time of the year there is also the risk that the birds (that have eaten nurdles) return to their nests and feed the nurdles to their chicks."

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Although they are small, they are one of the largest sources of plastic pollution in the sea.

"Once they're released into the waves they're very hard to clear up," added Ms Smalley.

The public has been asked not to pick them up if they find any, but to ring 999 and ask for HM Coastguard to report the location.

Last week, a cargo vessel named the Solong crashed with a tanker named Stena Immaculate, which had been carrying 220,000 barrels of jet fuel in 16 segregated tanks.

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A fire on the ship burned for three days after the incident and a salvage team has confirmed that 17,515 barrels of the 220,000 being carried have been lost, according to Crowley, the maritime company that operates the tanker.

They added that only one tank was damaged thanks to the actions of the crew, who they praised as "heroic".

On Monday, the company reiterated that message, sharing a picture of the crew and thanking them for their "bravery and quick action".

One crew member from the Solong remains missing, presumed dead, following the crash.

The ship's captain, Russian national Vladimir Motin, 59, appeared at Hull Magistrates' Court on Saturday morning charged with gross negligence manslaughter and was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on 14 April.