Only 28% of nurdles which spilled into a river have been recovered and are expected to continue washing up on beaches in the future, scientists have calculated.
Almost 18 tonnes of plastic nurdles are estimated to have spilled into the River Tyne after a collision between ships at the Port of Tyne in July.
However, only 5.14 tonnes have been recovered despite volunteers spending thousands of hours clearing beaches across the region, work by Newcastle University and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) found.
South Tyneside Council’s director of community operations Gary Kirsop, said the multi-agency group in charge of the nurdle response “remained committed”.
The university and Cefas said nurdles were “likely to have dispersed beyond the Tyne estuary out into the North Sea”.
The work, undertaken by the university, also said some nurdles “may remain within the river system” and will continue to wash up on parts of the coastline in future, depending on weather conditions, winds and tides.
North East mayor Kim McGuinness said this was upsetting for those caring for the region’s coastline.
She has commissioned an independent review into the response and recovery, and said she is backing calls for a change in international rules about how plastic nurdles are transported.
McGuinness said: “It’s vital the agencies involved in the clean up are ready and act quickly to continue their work when this happens.”
